


The Debut

by obisgirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 33
Words: 102,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obisgirl/pseuds/obisgirl
Summary: Emma is a men’s fashion designer CEO/President, and Killian interviews to be her personal assistant. Instead, he has become the company’s top premiere model for their men’s line. That also means Emma will have to work closely with Killian to make sure all the designs fit perfectly for their upcoming show for New York’s Fashion Week.  Emma starts to feel a growing attraction to her lead model, and of course, she doesn’t want to cross that professional boundary of in office romance, but little does she know that Killian wrestles with his feelings for her but like Emma, too stubborn to acknowledge them.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 27
Kudos: 122





	1. The Interview

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I wanted to spread out posting of my last three completed Captain Swan fanfics, but considering the incredibly depressing and scary situation that is the Corona Virus, I thought I would post this one early. 
> 
> Note 2: There is a rape that is mentioned in flashback. I'm going to spoil it now. Neal's the culprit.

The black alarm clock on Killian’s bedside table buzzes at exactly 7:30 a.m., time to wake up and get ready for the first job interview he’s had in months. 

Killian and his brother came to New York when they were in their twenties to start a business of their own. That didn’t quite work and the Jones boys’ found out very quickly that New York is a cutthroat city and everyone competes with everyone else. 

Instead, Liam found a job as a bartender in Manhattan and Killian went to school to make career changes. He enjoyed writing as a hobby and majored in journalism, studied hard for four years and graduated with honors. Still, the job market was tough so he ended up applying to small part-time writing positions. 

He then applied to become a personal assistant for one of New York’s top fashion companies, _The Jeweled Swan_. Despite its feminine name, it is actually a men’s fashion company and the CEO is a woman named Emma Swan. Killian had been picked for the final selection of interviews and today was his day. He helped himself to a quick breakfast, showered and changed. 

_The Jeweled Swan_ is located on 5th Avenue. 

He checks in first with the lobby receptionist, and she buzzes upstairs, the 15th floor where the office is located. The receptionist asks him to wait and someone would come down shortly to escort him up. Fifteen minutes later, a blonde girl with blue eyes, wearing a light green office dress, comes down to meet him, carrying a vanilla folder. 

“Killian Jones?” the woman asks, and he stands, shaking her hand, “My name is Tink Rose, Ms. Swan’s first assistant. Please follow me,” 

Killian follows the lass. 

“Have you ever worked for a fashion company before?” she asks while waiting. 

“No, but I graduated at the top of my class from NYU with a major in journalism,” he says. 

Tink smiles at him. “That’s lovely,” she says, “I studied journalism with a minor in art. I wanted an art director job here, but Ms. Swan felt that I worked better as her assistant. Just a warning, between both of us, she can be very intimidating the first time you meet her but once she gets to know you, she’s an awesome woman. She will help you with anything you need,” 

“Thank you for that,” he says as their elevator finally arrives. 

Killian lets her go first and he follows. 

~~

Another fifteen minutes later, Tink and Killian arrive at the 15th floor. There are two glass doors to the office, and as he follows Tink, he notices that most of the cubicles have women in them with a very small minority of male employees. So far, he likes the office environment. Many of his would-be co-workers are beautiful young ladies. 

Tink takes him to the twin office desks and sets her folder on her desk. “Ms. Swan’s office is right through those doors, but she’s not in yet. She usually arrives between 10:30 a.m. and 11am. You’re early. I hope you don’t mind waiting a bit,” 

“No problem at all,” he says, “Kiwi or Brit?” 

“Sorry?” Tink counters. 

Killian smiles. “Your accent. Are you a Kiwi or a Brit?” he asks. 

Tink smiles. “Kiwi. You’re British, obviously,” 

“I am. My brother and I came over about ten years ago,” he says. 

Killian and Tink continue talking for another ten minutes and then, someone rings her phone and she picks up, listening attentively on the other head, a lot of ‘hmm’ing. She then puts the phone down, calling the office for attention. 

_“The Swan is flying!”_ she cries. 

Everyone immediately stops dallying, cleans up their cubicles, puts on their heels and scatters to make sure everything else is in order. Tink looks over at Killian. “Ms. Swan is on her way up to the office,” she says and quickly prepares her coffee. 

Five minutes later, the door to a personal elevator opens and Emma comes in, wearing her swan coat, red dress and high heels, walking through the office with a cold look on her face. 

“Tink, I need the proofs from the last fashion shoot to be redone and have them ready on my desk by 3pm this afternoon. I don’t want to hear any complaints from the art department that it can’t be done. If it can’t be done, tell them it’s pointless to come in tomorrow for the regular critique meeting. I also want to review the venue for fashion week and make sure our usual press friends have a front row seat and scheduled backstage interviews, personally with me. There shouldn’t be a debacle about who is and isn’t allowed to see me during the event,” Emma commands as Tink quickly types up everything, “Also, please send in my first interview for the job in another forty minutes. Can you also get me some of that sushi I love so much from _Mulan’s,_ and this coffee isn’t hot enough. Get me another one, light on the foam and soy milk. Mocha cappuccino with cinnamon, thank you,” 

Killian stares after Ms. Swan in disbelief and then glances at Tink. “I can see why you need another assistant,” he reasons. 

“I campaigned for two more, actually, but Ms. Swan thinks one should do the trick. I’ll get on most of these right away and you wait here exactly forty more minutes. This is really important -- seriously, do not enter that office until then. She likes her quiet time to unwind before everything else gets hectic. The last assistant made the mistake and she was out of a job by lunchtime,” Tink says. 

Tink walks away. 

He waits at the desk, looking over his resume and trying his perfect job pitch. 

However, before the forty minutes are up -- it’s only been twenty -- Ms. Swan calls for Tink to send in her first interview. Killian fixes his suit, holds his head high and walks into the office. 

Emma’s seated at her glass desk, legs crossed and leaning back, going over her schedule on an iPad for the day. 

“Sit,” she commands. 

Killian takes a seat. 

She doesn’t put down the iPad, still scrolling through her weekly calendar. “Resume,” she says. 

Killian takes out his printed resume and slides it across the desk. Ms. Swan takes it, placing it on top of her iPad screen, skimming through his recent job experiences and taking note of his education. “You have a BA in journalism. Why would you want to work here?” she asks. 

“I think you’ll find I have studied different mediums of journalism and I could be of use to you as your personal assistant,” he says. 

Emma tips down her sunglasses and looks at him, really looks at him for the first time since he came in. He is a very handsome man, pale skin like hers and gorgeous blue eyes and jet black hair with a very defined jawline. His physique is also exactly the kind of look she needs for her male models. A very gentlemanly man. 

“Ms. Swan, do you have any other questions?” he asks. 

Emma rings up her fashion department, directly dialing one of her closest designers. “Jefferson, I need you to come to my office right away. I need your opinion about something,” she calls. 

“I’ll be right there, Ms. Swan,” he promises. 

Tink knocks her office door and Emma waves her in. “Here is your new mocha cappuccino, the sushi you love and the art department is sending up their proofs with their notes,” she says, “A few more escorts need to be screened for fashion week,” 

“Set those on my desk. I’ll look at them later. Thank you Tink,” she says, “If you see Jefferson, please escort him to my office right away,” 

Tink nods, leaving them alone again. 

Emma puts down her iPad and opens up her sushi, taking a sip of her coffee. Then trash it. “Seriously, does no one at that little Starbucks know the difference between skim milk and soy milk? I should buy them and hire my own baristas,” she moans. 

Tink escorts Jefferson inside and then she quickly leaves. 

“Jefferson sweetheart,” Emma says, stands and greets him with a kiss on both cheeks, “I need your opinion about this new personal assistant candidate, Mr. --- what was your name again?” 

“Jones, Killian Jones,” he says. 

“Right. Do you think he’s what you’re looking for? I think he fits your dream man perfectly,” she says. 

Killian’s eyes widen. He’s interviewing to be Ms. Swan’s personal assistant and she’s setting him up with a guy? 

Jefferson signs, studying Killian’s physique, making measurement calculations in his head and cross-referencing those calculations with the designs he has on his desk downstairs in the cutting room. “I think he’ll do it. If you’re done with him, you can send him downstairs for a fitting. I have some suits that I think would look fabulous on him,” he says. 

Emma claps her hands together. “Excellent,” she says, “You can go now. Thanks, Jefferson,” 

“My pleasure my dear,” 

Killian doesn’t quite know what to make of what just happened. 

“Um excuse me, excuse me, Ms. Swan,” he says, clearing his throat, “I came in for an interview for a personal assistant position,” 

“And you’re still being interviewed,” she reminds him, going to sit back at her desk and eat another piece of sushi. “This should have had no soy sauce in it,” 

“Ms. Swan?” 

“Yes,” she says, picking up his resume again, “Your qualifications are impressive, your spotty work is worrisome but understandable. New York is a tough place to get a head start. I’ll give you a call in a few days if I think that you’re a good fit here. You may go now,” 

Killian starts to stand, and then Emma stops him. “Before you leave, however, talk to Tink about escorting you downstairs to Jefferson’s office,” she adds. 

~~

Killian has never been in an interview like that one before. It is a truly bewildering experience, and Ms. Swan is - as Tink described as intimidating, cold and harsh - but he would also add - demanding and unforgiving. It’s hard to believe that there’s actually a person underneath those clothes. 

He comes over to Tink’s desk. “Ms. Swan said that you should escort me to Jefferson’s office,” he says. 

“But he was just here…”

“I know. I think she wanted me to do a fitting or something,” he says. 

Tink looks at him over again, smiles and stands. “Of course, follow me please,” she says happily, taking him down to the cutting floor. When they arrive, there are seamstresses working on finalizing designs for the upcoming fashion week. 

“Tink darling, thank you very much for bringing down Mr. Jones. You can wait by the elevator and I’ll send him back to you once I’m done,” 

Tink smiles politely. “Of course,” she says. 

Jefferson studies Killian again. 

“I must confess, I have no idea what's going on or why I’m here,” he says. 

“Our lead model for the upcoming fashion week came down with a bad strain of flu. He says he’s fine now, but Ms. Swan is also a germaphobe and doesn’t want other models to catch what he has. Until we fill that spot, we don’t have a lead model; hence, where you might come in Mr. Jones,” Jefferson says, “And rather than make new clothes for a new model, we’ve been looking for a model with the exact measurements that our old model had to save sewing and cutting time,” 

Killian smirks. “I applied to be Ms. Swan’s personal assistant. I’m not a model,” he protests. 

“Honey, you have the body and the right measurements,” Jefferson says flatly, “If I were you and I had that body, I’d take the modeling gig. You would be surprised at how much male models make in New York, especially leading up to fashion week,” 

“What about the assistant job?” 

“Tink has more candidates she can look at, and Ms. Swan would not have recommended you if she didn’t think you weren’t a match,” he says, and looks at one of his mannequins wearing a blue men’s suit. “Here, I want you to try this on. Tink can you show the fitting rooms,” 

Killian reluctantly takes the suit, exits the office and asks Tink to show him the fitting room. He emerges ten minutes later, wearing a fitted suit and looking at himself in the mirror, and he does look good in it. It’s like the suit was tailor-made for his body shape. 

“I think we have a match!” Tink cries, “Jefferson is going to be so happy,” 

~~

After Killian withstands more fashion securitization, measuring and ogling, Jefferson finally lets him go and Tink escorts him back to the main lobby and thanks him for coming in and that Ms. Swan will be in touch with him in a few days, pending she doesn’t forget about him. 

Rather than go back to the apartment, Killian takes a cab to his brother’s bar for a drink and catch-up. It’s around 3 p.m. now and the tail-end of happy hour. 

“Ah, brother, how did your interview go?” he asks, cleaning some glasses. 

“I’m not sure,” Killian admits, “I came in for an interview for a personal assistant position and then I ended up trying on men’s clothes for the lead male model position. They need a replacement for the upcoming fashion week next month,” 

“Good luck with that. How was the boss, Ms. Swan?” 

Killian shrugs. “I’m not sure if she’s even human. She’s so -- she reminds me of that character Meryl Streep played in _The Devil Wears Prada_ ,” he continues, “She’s pretty tough and most of the people who work in the office are women who are pretty. Her first assistant, Tink, is nice,” 

“I hope you get the job brother. You still have student loans to pay off and I can’t keep helping you,” he says. 

“I know, I know,” he moans, “I should know in a few days,” 

As if on cue, his phone rings and it’s Ms. Swan’s direct line. “Hello?” he asks. 

“Mr. Jones, I need you to be at the office at 9 a.m. tomorrow, report first to Tink and then go downstairs to meet with Jefferson for more fittings. Congratulations, your _The Jeweled Swan_ ’s newest top male model,” Ms. Swan says, “We can work out further details tomorrow of your other responsibilities,” 

“Other responsibilities?” 

“When you’re not modeling, you’ll be my personal assistant. That is the job that you interviewed for, which means that you will have a pretty good salary. We can discuss more details tomorrow,” she says, and then hangs up. 

Killian puts his phone away and looks at his brother. “I got the jobs,” he says. 

“ _Jobs_?” 

“It appears I am both a model and Ms. Swan’s personal assistant,” Killian reasons, “which means I will have a double-salary, as a model and assistant,” 

“Bloody hell, congratulations brother!” Liam says, “Oy! Attention _Jolly Roger_ patrons! My little brother Killian had just landed a dual-job with a prestigious fashion house here in Manhattan. Drinks are on the house!” 

TBC

  
  



	2. Killian's First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t have a suit,” 
> 
> “Nonsense, of course, you do. Jefferson has agreed to be your fairy godfather for the event. If I can make it, I will be there, but it’s important that someone be there to represent this fashion house."

Killian sets his alarm for 7 a.m., so he can have breakfast, shower, change and give himself enough time to get to _The Jeweled Swan_ before his appointed start time. 

He gets there 30 minutes early, rings up Tink that he’s arrived and she, once again, comes to escort him upstairs to the office. She briefs him quickly on what Ms. Swan expects of him in this new dual position. He is expected to juggle between working downstairs with Jefferson for fittings and then being available to Ms. Swan’s assistant when she needs him. 

It will be a difficult transition to begin with because he’s not Superman but Tink secretly suspects that he will quit one part of the job in favor of the other, and Ms. Swan secretly hopes that he becomes the model full-time. 

Tink tells him that she already has backup assistants if he can’t fulfill his duties as Ms. Swan’s assistant, so there’s no need to worry on that front. Tink drops him off at Jefferson’s office again and then goes back upstairs to the main office. 

Killian spends most of the morning trying on various men’s office suits, going in and out of the dressing room as Jefferson takes down adjusted measurements and other notes. Thankfully, it is, as Ms. Swan suspected, and there’s very few alterations needed. 

It’s January, so most of what Killian tries are suits and sweaters. 

Around 1 p.m., Ms. Swan comes to the fitting floor to talk to Jefferson and also to check out Mr. Jones’ fitting. She has a fleeting view of him running back into the dressing room to try on yet another ensemble, but this one is less formal. 

“Jefferson sweetheart,” Emma greets him, kissing on both cheeks, “How is our new model doing?” 

“He's trying on his 20th outfit, that’s almost half of the first collection, and according to my notes, very few alterations are needed over all,” he reports. 

“Good. I like it,” she says, sipping her coffee. 

Killian comes out of the dressing room, wearing a snuggly fitted shiny navy blue men’s shirt and matching blue leather pants. 

He looks at himself in the mirror, making sure everything fits right, and Emma watches him from Jefferson’s desk, studying how his body works his clothes. The shirt is perfectly fit around his torso and she can almost see his muscles through the fabric. He turns around, fixing the collar and leaves just enough space at the top to show off some chest hair. 

Emma takes another sip of her coffee, trying to hide her blush as he comes back to the office to let Jefferson look him over again. He quirks an eyebrow when he sees Ms. Swan sitting at his desk with her coffee in hand. 

“Ms. Swan,” he says. 

“Mr. Jones,” she says, “You look good,” 

Jefferson comes over, making more adjustments to Killian’s collar and smooths out the rest of the clothes, getting rid of wrinkles. “How does your stomach feel?” he asks. 

“It’s not too tight, but not too loose either. A good fit, I think,” 

Jefferson takes out his tape measure and measures again at his waist. “This could fit better but we’re good here. You can take him back upstairs if you need him for anything,” he says, “Leave the clothes on the mannequins please. I’ll have these run up in the next couple of days and then we’ll have another fitting to make sure everything is good. Don’t eat a lot,” 

“What do you recommend I eat then?” Killian counters, unaware that models need to have a strict diet. 

“Salads and if you need protein, I suggest sushi,” Emma says, “Come on. I have some free time. I’ll show you where I get mine,” 

~~

After Killian changes back into his clothes, he meets his boss by the elevator and she takes him back down to the lobby and onto the street. She puts on her sunglasses and walks a short distance to the sushi place, _Mulan’s Table_. 

Emma orders her usual first and then Killian asks to see the menu, in which case Emma goes ahead and makes an extra order of what she just ordered. They take a seat in a booth and a waitress comes by with some hot white tea. 

“You’ve never had sushi before, have you?” she asks. 

“No, I haven’t,” 

“It takes time to make this stuff, so it’s always better to go with what you know when ordering,” Emma says, “I have a running tab, so no need to worry about the bill,” 

Killian smiles at her. “Thank you Ms. Swan,” 

“Some notes,” she continues, “Models are expected to follow a very strict diet. No starch, no bread, and beer is not allowed. No fried food either. There are some places in New York that keep reusing fried oil and don’t change it for days, leading to bad stomach problems. I tend to stay far away from those places and you should too. If you need to eat snacks, no chips, hotdogs or whatever it is that British people eat. For snacks, salads and drink lots of water,” 

“Almost sounds like being in the army,” he notes. 

“The fashion business is serious business Mr. Jones,” she says, “especially since fashion week is less than a month away, we don’t want to scramble to find a replacement for you at the last minute. Jefferson might quit on me and I have bigger problems than looking for another designer,” 

Their food arrives and the waitress distributes their orders and then leaves them. 

Emma starts to eat her sushi and then freaks when she sees her new assistant using a fork to eat his sushi. “What the hell are you doing?” she cries. 

“Eating sushi?” he says, raising an eyebrow. 

“That is not how you eat sushi. You see these chopsticks, you hold them like this and use them to put the food into your mouth,” she says, taking a piece and eating one, “See,” 

Killian puts down the fork and picks up the chopsticks, trying to get used to holding them first and then tries to pick up a piece of sushi, holding it still but failing, snapping them accidentally and the sushi falls back onto his plate. Emma sighs, stands up and comes over to his side, taking hold of his chopsticks and fixing his fingers. 

Their fingers lightly brush each other and Emma has to suck in a breath at the contact focusing instead on teaching him how to properly use chopsticks to pick-up his food. After a few more tries, Killian gets the hang of it and starts eating his sushi the way it should be eaten. 

After lunch, the lady who served them before comes back with more white tea and some mints. Killian thanks her for lunch and they walk back into the building together. Killian starts to walk towards the main elevator but Emma calls him back, and she leads him to the private one she uses. 

He doesn’t see the harm in that, so he follows her. 

Her private elevator is nice. It’s mostly glass, and if he turns around, he can see a nice view of Manhattan. He looks back at his boss, but she’s facing the door. 

“This view is amazing, you should see it,” he says. 

“I would, but I’m terrified of heights,” she says. 

Killian faces the same way she does. There’s absolute silence between them for ten minutes and then she asks him something. 

“Do you have a girlfriend?” 

“What?” 

“A girlfriend, you know, unless you’re gay and it’s a boyfriend,” Emma reasons, “Boyfriend are welcome here too. Jefferson is gay, but he has a daughter, a sweet girl named Grace,” 

Killian smirks. Now he suddenly feels more self-conscious about being around a dressmaker. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend. I dated a girl while attending NYU but not much after I graduated,” 

“Goodness, I didn’t need to know your entire life story; just curious if you had a significant other,” she says. 

Killian sighs. When they reach the office floor, Ms. Swan exits first and then Killian follows her, and as soon as he leaves the elevator, most everyone in the office is staring at him. Ms. Swan goes into her office and shuts the door behind her, leaving him alone with Tink. 

“You took the private elevator with her?” she asks. 

“She invited me to come with her. Why is that a problem?” 

“No one ever rides the private elevator with her,” 

Killian shrugs. “Am I going to be the subject of office gossip now?” 

Tink smiles a little. “Probably until our next crisis comes up,” she reasons, “Now that you’re here, I can finally eat my lunch. I’ve been starving since 12. Answer the phones and take down any notes and save them on the computer. There’s an iPad in the drawer in case Ms. Swan needs you to take down anything she needs. They should already be charged but check just to make sure. Bye,” 

Killian takes his position at the twin desk, getting himself familiar with the iMac set-up and checks the ipad in the drawer to see if it’s charged. Ten minutes later, Ms. Swan calls his desk, and he hurriedly picks up the phone. 

“Killian Jones for Ms. Swan’s office, speaking,” he says. 

“It’s Killian Jones, 2nd assistant, _The Jeweled Swan_ for Ms. Emma Swan’s office, speaking,” she corrects him, “That is how you answer the phone when someone calls,” 

“I apologize Ms. Swan. What did you need?” 

“Come into my office and bring your iPad. I need you to take some notes for me,” she instructs and hangs up. 

He finds Ms. Swan sitting at her desk with her iPad in hand. “There’s a charity fundraising event coming up for foster kids. I have loads of work to do to prepare for fashion week next month. I need you to go in my place,” she says. 

“I don’t have a suit,” 

“Nonsense, of course, you do. Jefferson has agreed to be your fairy godfather for the event. If I can make it, I will be there, but it’s important that someone be there to represent this fashion house. Plus, I think it would be a nice introduction for you as our new male model,” Emma reasons, “Jefferson can fill you in on the rest of the event details, and Tink also has some specifics as well. That’s all,” 

~~

For the second time that day, Killian takes the elevator to the basement to see Jefferson, so he can fit him with a suit appropriate for the charity event. 

He is aware that no one is upstairs, screening phone calls at the desk, which is why he calls Tink to let her know that he’s needed once again for a fitting and that someone needs to be at the desk. She drops her lunch and races back to the office. 

Jefferson has him trying on some select suits, mostly navy blue, which looks very good on him. You would think that it wouldn’t take forty minutes to find the right suit for a charity event, but it takes Jefferson forty minutes to narrow down what looks best on him and it is between three identical navy blue fitted suits. 

“They’re all bloody identical,” Killian cries. 

“No, they’re not,” Jefferson resorts, “One’s polyester, the other 100% cotton and the last one is velvet. Some advice Mr. Jones, if you plan on making this job long-term, you need to become more familiar with how men’s clothes work. There are different fabrics used to make clothes. This may shock you, but they’re not all the same,”

Killian sighs. 

“One last thing before you change, I need your home address,” he says. 

“Why?” 

“You think you’re going to come into the office, change here and then go to a charity event? That’s not practical. I’ll come to your house and dress you,” 

Killian writes down Liam’s apartment address on a notepad, changes his clothes and returns upstairs. He finds Tink at her desk, eating the remainder of her salad and drinking bottled water. 

“Hello Tink,” he says, “I hope that you’re not angry with me,” 

“I’m used to having my lunch breaks cut short,” she says, “How did the fitting go downstairs? Did Jefferson find something for you to wear to the event?” 

“He narrowed it down to three outfits,” 

Tink giggles. “That sounds about right,” she muses.

Between 3:30 and 4 p.m., the office quiets down and around 5:30 p.m., the phones stop ringing. Tink leaves around 6 p.m. and he’s about to follow her out, and then Ms. Swan calls him to her office. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get back in touch with you after your fitting for the event. There’s been a slight change in plans. I will be going with you,” she informs him, “That is all. We can work out the rest of the details before the event,” 

Killian smiles a little. “Jefferson narrowed my suit selection to three,” he says. 

“That’s okay. I’m choosing your outfit, you’ll be refitted tomorrow to match my dress. The worst thing to happen is to have a fashion CEO show up with her companion and their outfits don’t match. It’s bad press,” she says, “You can go now,” 

~~

Killian meets his brother for dinner at _The Jolly Roger_. As soon as he sits at the bar, he immediately orders a Guinness, hamburger and fries, totally breaking the rules on what he should eat to maintain his model physique. 

“So how was your first day brother?” 

“I spent the morning trying on maybe 30 men’s outfits, almost all of them practically the same, and then tried on more outfits for this fundraising event the company will be attending,” he says, “I also had lunch with my boss,” 

Liam lights up excitedly. “You had lunch with your boss on the first day? What's she like? Where did you eat?” 

“There’s a sushi bar walking distance from the office. We went there and she taught me how to use chopsticks because apparently sushi is the only source of accepted protein,” he explains. 

“Your boss, Ms. Swan, is she pretty?” 

Killian hesitates and lowers his head. “First of all, she’s my boss and what does it matter if she’s pretty or not? The woman doesn’t have a lot of social grace. She’s very cold,” he says. 

“Is she pretty Killian?” 

“She has blond hair, pale skin and green eyes; her height is maybe over 5”,” he says, “I thought at first that I would be attending this fundraising event by myself, but she informed me before I left tonight that she’ll be coming with me. Now, tomorrow morning, I have to be refitted again so I can match her dress for the event,” 

One of the cooks comes to him with his brother’s food, and Liam sets it down for him. 

“I’m also not supposed to eat this, but I bloody do not care at the moment,” he says. 

As soon as he says that, Liam takes away his food and orders him soup and salad instead. 

“Bloody hell Liam! _That was my food!_ ” he curses. 

“Soup and salad is your dinner,” Liam corrects him. 

Elsa comes into the bar and kisses Liam, saying hello to Killian. “You’re not eating burgers?” she asks. 

“I’m only allowed to have salad with my new job,” he says regretfully. 

“Can I have it instead? It would be a waste to toss this,” Elsa says. 

Killian agrees and Liam gives his girlfriend Killians’ former dinner. 

“Killian, how is your new job?” Elsa asks, taking a bite of the burger. 

“Bloody miserable since I can’t eat the food I like,” he retorts. 

“Liam says that you’re a male model and someone’s personal assistant. That’s quite a juggling act. How are you managing so far?” 

“I hate it,” he says simply. 

“Stick in there, little brother,” Liam offers, “He gets dual pay since he’s both model and assistant. You can use that money to pay off your student loans. After working there for a few more months, you can look for another job,” 

“That’s right,” Elsa agrees, “Hmm, Liam honey, you know what would be good with this? A strawberry milkshake,” 

“Coming right up sweetheart,” he promises. 

Killian continues watching Elsa eat his food and he notices that she has a very healthy appetite. “Elsa,” he starts, “are you pregnant?” 

Elsa stops eating fries and looks at him. “Liam doesn’t know yet, but I took a pregnancy test a few weeks ago and I am,” she confirms, “I have these cravings all the time, it’s been non-stop,” 

“Congratulations,” he says, hugging her, “That’s wonderful news,” 

“Thanks Killian,” she says, “I’m nervous about telling Liam. We’re not even engaged, and I know he’s the traditional type,” 

“My brother will be thrilled, but if he also proposes, I would welcome that as well,” 

Liam comes back with a tall glass of strawberry milkshake with a cherry on top and gives it to Elsa. 

“I think I’m going home,” Killian says, “and hopefully find some real food to eat. Goodnight brother. I’ll see you later, Elsa,” 

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I will definitely and try make postings as regularly as possible during the quarantine, either Fridays' or Saturdays.


	3. The First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ms. Swan?” Killian asks. 

Killian shoves his hands into his coat, walking down the street from Liam’s bar. That hamburger and fries were supposed to be his. It’s a crispy winter in New York, but no snow yet. He walks along the sidewalk, hoping to find some cheap-to-go place, and then he notices that a black car is following him on the street. 

It’s a nice black car too. 

Finally, he stops walking and the car stops too. Killian goes over and knocks on the window, which rolls down automatically and he’s surprised to see his boss. “Ms. Swan,” he greets. 

“Good evening Mr. Jones,” she says, “Are you lost or something?” 

“No,” he manages, “I was looking for a place to eat. You?” 

“My house is around the block. I’m on my way home,” she continues, “Did you want a ride somewhere?” 

Killian grins. “That’s very kind of you, Ms. Swan, but I prefer to walk,” he reasons. 

Emma sighs and is about to roll up the window as well, and then she gets out and tells her driver to go ahead and park the car in the garage. 

“Ms. Swan?” Killian asks. 

“I know that look,” she cuts him off, “You were looking for fast food; not that I blame you. I’ve been craving a cheese steak sandwich with cheese fries all day. Come on, I know a place not far from here that serves that,” 

Killian stares at her incredulously and then follows his boss. 

~~

Ms. Swan takes Killian to  _ Granny’s Diner _ and she lets him order whatever he likes but suggests he order the ham and cheese grilled cheese because it’s her favorite with a side of onion rings. Emma gets what she craves. They sit alone in a booth not far from the counter and Ruby comes by with their drinks. 

“So, all that talk about eating healthy is to maintain a desirable figure -- not true?” he asks, sipping his Diet Coke. 

Emma raises an eyebrow. “At work, yes; after hours is a different story,” she reasons, “I know I’m kind of a hard-ass in the office, but I have to be. Do you know how hard it was for me to get  _ The Jeweled Swan  _ up and running and, eventually, become a premiere men’s fashion house? It didn’t happen overnight, and sacrifices had to be made,” 

“Why men’s fashion, though? Would female clothes be easier?” 

“Why, because I’m a woman that making clothes for women should come as a natural business instinct?” she retorts, “I thought about that over the years, but I prefer men’s fashion. It’s more challenging for a woman I think, and I like challenges,” 

Granny serves them their food. 

“Thanks Granny,” Emma says, “Granny, this is my second new assistant, Killian Jones,” 

“Pleasure to meet you Granny,” he says, feeling silly calling the old lady such. 

Granny tilts her glasses and looks at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet one of Emma’s new proteges, especially since she doesn’t bring many to eat dinner with her. But it’s good to meet you Killian,” she says, “Enjoy your food,” 

“Protege?” he questions after she leaves them. 

“Well, you are learning a new trade - fashion,” she reminds him. 

“Aye,” he agrees. 

~~

When the bill arrives later, Emma starts to pay for it but Killian stops her, taking it instead. “It’s only fair that I pay this time Swan,” he says, and takes out some cash. 

She quietly thanks him and they leave, walking towards her house. Killian walks her to her front door and Emma unlocks it, calling for someone else. Her driver emerges from the kitchen and greets him. 

“Hello mate,” he says, “Will Scarlett, I’m Ms. Swan’s personal driver,”

“And nanny,” she adds, “Where is Henry? I brought him some dinner,” 

“He had a light dinner, played some video games on the XBox, then went to bed,” Will reports, “Now that you’re home Ms. Swan, I can go, but I’ll be back tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. to pick-up the boy to take him to school,” 

“Thanks Will for all your help,” she says and hugs him. 

Will sees himself out and Killian looks back at his boss as she takes off her heels and goes to the kitchen to unload the leftovers from Granny’s. “How old is your boy?” he asks. 

“Henry is 11,” she says, putting away the leftovers and then bringing out a bottle of red wine and two glasses. “Care to join me?” 

“I like red wine,” he says. 

Emma pours them both a glass, they clink glasses together and then she lays them down on the couch. Killian takes a seat on an ottoman. “I had Henry before I started the business. He was only a toddler during the first year. It was tough going for a while, juggling CEO and mom duties. Eventually, I had to put out an ad on Craigslist, looking for a nanny who could take care of him while I worked. I met different nannies but I didn’t like any of them, except for Will. The kicker for me was that he got along with Henry,” 

“I can’t imagine it’s easy being a single mother and the owner of a major fashion house,” 

“It isn’t,” she says, and takes another sip of her wine, “I would love to say that weekends I can spend more time with him, but weekends are when the planning begins for the following week. I’m half here when I should be fully here,” 

“I’m sorry,” 

“It’s not your problem,” Emma muses. 

Killian puts down his wine glass and clears his throat. “My father -- Liam and mine’s father -- left us after our mum passed. My big brother had to become my parent and watch out for me, set aside his dreams so I could succeed. He wanted to become a professional musician, but he had to give that up for me,” he recalls. 

Emma smiles lightly at him. “What does your brother do now?” 

“He’s the owner and bartender of  _ The Jolly Roger _ . I get a free dinner when I go there, except for tonight, I had to give that dinner to my brother’s girlfriend because I let it slip that I needed to eat salads religiously for my work,” 

“Sorry about that,” 

He shrugs. “You owe me dinner at my brother’s bar,” he reasons. 

“That will have to be after next month's show, when things start winding down,” she says. 

Killian drinks some more of his wine and Emma does the same. 

They sit in silence for a while and then Emma starts to feel drowsy, her head falling nicely onto the couch pillow. She struggles to stay awake a bit longer but her whole body gives out. 

Killian takes a finished glass of wine from her hands, puts it in the kitchen sink along with his own and comes back to the living room, kneeling before his boss. He could let her sleep on the couch, but she probably has a bedroom somewhere. Killian stands, picks her up gently and carries her, hoping to find her room. 

He finds the master bedroom on the second floor and lays her down on the bed. He fixes her hair a bit and caresses her cheek. Emma stirs and looks at him groggily. He isn’t sure if she wants to smack him for invading her space, but he doesn’t move. 

Emma leans up and kisses him. Killian kisses her back, his hand sliding to the back of her head for support. He can smell and taste the red wine on her lips, and what starts out as a chaste, innocent kiss quickly escalates into her wanting him to remove her dress. 

That’s when Killian stops and backs away, touching his lips. 

“Sorry Swan,” he apologizes. 

She looks at him groggily again and then passes out. “Nice kiss,” she says and goes back to sleep. 

tbc


	4. Just a Little Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He looks back at Jefferson’s office and the man is busy, making notes on his computer. “Listen, I think we should talk privately later about last night,” he whispers. 
> 
> Emma stops looking at the rack and looks at him, brows furrowed. “What happened last night?” she questions. 

Killian arrives home much later than he expected, and before he makes it to his room, the light turns on and there’s his brother, arms crossed and peeved. “Liam, now is not the time for a lecture,” he says. 

“Where the bloody were you? I thought you went home straight away,” 

“I found a new place nearby called  _ Granny’s Diner _ . It’s good,” he says, “I have to get to bed. I will most likely have an early fitting tomorrow. Goodnight,” 

Liam waves him away and goes to his room to sleep as well. 

~~

Killian comes in early to the office the next day. He checks in first with Tink if there’s anything he should know. She says that she’ll take care of Ms. Swan’s schedule today, but he’s needed downstairs to re-fit for the fundraiser. 

Ms. Swan’s dress selections arrived last night and Jefferson stayed up all night, trying to find matches for all of them. 

Killian looks through the dress rack and finds that the labels are a mismatch for high-end labels. That’s just the first rack. 

The second rack consists of dresses made by not-so-well-known designers and then he remembers what she told him last night about getting a difficult head start in the fashion business. When she comes to an event wearing a new label, everyone immediately wants to know about how designers and shoppers will be ordering what they like and adding it to their store front. 

Jefferson comes in a little later, two cups of coffee in hand and takes measurements around Killian’s waist. 

“Eeek!” he shrieks. 

“What bloody is it?”

“Your waist has expanded one inch since yesterday. What did you eat for dinner?” he demands. 

Killian sighs. “None of your bloody business,” he snaps, “As long as I can still fit into these clothes, there is nothing wrong with my diet,” 

Jefferson gives him his first suit piece to try on. “It hasn’t been tailored yet and the fabric is stretchable,” 

Killian takes the suit and tries it on. 

When he comes back, Emma is there looking through the second rack of dresses. 

“Good morning Ms. Swan,” he greets her, fixing the cuffs. 

“Good morning Mr. Jones,” she says, still looking through the rack. 

He looks back at Jefferson’s office and the man is busy, making notes on his computer. “Listen, I think we should talk privately later about last night,” he whispers. 

Emma stops looking at the rack and looks at him, brows furrowed. “What happened last night?” she questions. 

“You kissed me,”

Emma starts laughing. “I don’t remember kissing you, Mr. Jones, but if I did, I am truly sorry for crossing that boundary. Let’s just try and be professional moving forward, okay?” 

“You don’t remember kissing me,” he repeats. 

“Didn’t I just say that I don’t remember kissing you? I don’t. There, that’s the end of it and we won’t have to have a private conversation about this later,” she says, picking out a dark blue and black, lingerie-ish gown. 

Killian looks over the dress she’s picked out and raises an eyebrow. “That's your first choice?” 

“Is there a problem with my selection?” 

“No problem at all,” 

Jefferson comes back and interrupts them. He stops and marvels at Emma’s selections. “I wasn’t sure what kind of mood you were in, or if you wanted to go with a specific theme, so I chose a little of everything from big and little brands,” he says. 

“They’re not little, just not so well-known right now, but we can change that and make someone else’s day,” she says, “It is however a fundraising event for foster kids who need homes. Maybe something a bit more conservative but sexy?” 

Jefferson starts looking through the second rack for something that fits that description. 

Emma turns her attention back to Killian’s outfit, a dark blue velvet suit. “This is nice, but it would be interesting to try a different color on you,” she reasons. “Jefferson, where are your red vest suits?” 

Jefferson calls his assistant Alice and asks her to bring the hottest red vest suits she can find in the closet and bring them to him for Mr. Jones to try. 

Killian starts looking through the rest of the dress rack out of curiosity. He finds an elegant and classy long-sleeve red gown. It’s one of the lesser-known labels. 

Emma spies him looking at it and raises an eyebrow. “Wow, you have good taste,” she compliments, “Sexy but conservative,” 

Alice comes back with a pile of red-vested suits. Emma thanks her and the young lady goes away. She picks up a fancy red vest and puts it over Killian’s chest. “Try this one on,” she says. 

Killian takes it and starts going back to the dressing room, but Emma stops him. 

“Here, try it on here,” she says, “The black pants are fine. No need to change those, the vest and jacket need to change,” 

Killian removes his top in front of her, and for a moment Emma has a nice eyeful of his upper body and chest hair. Killian puts on the vest doing up the buttons and pulls it so firmly on him. The red is a nice look on him plus the black jacket. 

“Perfect,” she smiles. 

He smiles at her. “What about you, Ms. Swan? What will you be wearing?” he wonders. 

Emma picks out the long-sleeved red dress he was looking at earlier and takes it back to the women’s dressing room. Emma comes out a while later, wearing a red dress and Killian swears that seeing her in that dress, she is a vision. 

“I like this, but I think the sleeves are a big lot, maybe something shorter with a shawl and I think it would be pretty if there was a V-neck cut dress with one strap on the shoulder. Jefferson, do you have something like that?” she asks. 

“I can look. I think I remember seeing a corseted dress like that somewhere,” 

“Look for it. Let me know when you find and I’ll try it on,” Emma reasons, going back to the dressing room to change. 

“Hold on Ms. Swan,” Killian starts, “I think that you look beautiful as you are,” 

She blushes. “That’s very sweet of you, Mr. Jones, but I think a corseted dress, if Jefferson can find one, will look better. Besides, your vest has a vintage look to it,” 

“As you wish m’lady,” he agrees and lets her go. 

~~

Emma spends the rest of her day reviewing seating arrangements for the fundraiser. It’s not her event, but she is donating a nice amount of money to charity to help underprivileged kids get an education; it’s the least she can do considering that she grew up in a foster home by herself. Besides reviewing the guest list, she also looks over the evening’s events. 

There’s dinner, of course, which you can select in advance what you would like to eat, ballroom dancing and an auction with the proceeds going to the evening’s charity. She also realizes that since this is her assistant’s first time attending a function like this, he should also become familiar with what will be happening and who else will be there. 

She rings his desk phone and asks him to see her. 

Killian walks with his iPad and sits down. “Yes, Ms. Swan?” 

Emma gives him the event program and attendees list. “I need you to study these and have every name on that list memorized. This is a program for the fundraiser and all the people attending, people we might be sitting at dinner or bump into on the way in. I expect you to know every name on that list and research what each of them is currently working on. I need you to brief me on everything before the event,” she instructs. 

“Yes, Ms. Swan,” he promises. 

“Did Jefferson find a corseted dress for me?” 

“Aye, he did. It looks stunning, but I still think the original red dress looks better,” 

Emma squints her eyes at him. “Thank you for your input, Mr. Jones, but I will be the judge of that. Tell Jefferson that I’ll be down shortly to try on the dress. That’s it. You can go,” 

Killian exits the office and rings Jefferson downstairs so that Ms. Swan will be down there shortly to try on the dress. 

Tink glances up at him from her computer. “Usually, I attend these functions with Ms. Swan, following her around and giving her direction about each person there,” she notes, “Do you know who you’re wearing yet?” 

“It’s a red vest and a black suit, velvet,” he says, reading through the list she gave him. 

“Is the vest from the first rack or the second one?” 

Killian sighs. “The second one, I believe,” he says, “I need to concentrate on these names,” 

“Sorry,” she apologizes and goes back to work. 

~~

Killian spends the rest of the day reviewing the names on the guest list and researching each of them typing on notes, copying in some instances. Emma leaves her office around 3 p.m. to go down to see Jefferson and try on that new dress. She doesn’t talk to him or ask to come with, so he stays where he is. 

Forty-five minutes later, she comes back to the office and tells him that she’s wearing another dress. The other one looks like it came from a burlesque dance show, totally inappropriate for a children’s fundraiser. 

Around 4 p.m., Will and Henry arrive at the office. They come to Tink’s desk and she smiles hello. “The lad got out early from school and wanted to see his mum,” Will says, “Is Emma free?” 

Tink’s about to ring her up and then Killian beats her on the phone. “Ms. Swan, Will and Henry are here,” he says. 

Emma comes out of her office and hugs Henry. “Henry, what are you doing here?” 

“Got out early from school and I wanted to see you. We missed each other last night,” 

“I know we did kid,” she says, “I brought leftovers from Granny’s for your lunch,” 

“It was good,” he pipes, “Are you coming home early tonight? You still owe me a second round of _ Rock Band _ ,” 

Killian smirks, trying to focus on the list in front of him but is slightly amused at the thought of seeing his boss playing rock band with an eleven year old. 

“I know,” she whines, “I promise after fashion week next month, we’ll have more time to play  _ Rock Band _ and all those games that you like. I still have to deal with all this prep and make sure our new model knows what he’s doing,” 

Henry turns his attention to Killian. “You’re the new model. Have you modeled before?” 

“No. All I’ve done so far is to try on clothes and see what fits,”

“You should probably take him to the runway and see what he can do, ” Henry suggests, “There's a certain way these models walk, it’s totally different than normal walking. It’s slower, sort of like old people,” 

Tink laughs a little. 

“Come on Henry,” Will interrupts, “You still need to work on your homework and your mum has important stuff that she needs to do,” 

Henry hugs Emma goodbye and waves to Tink and Killian. 

Emma smiles wistfully after him and then returns to her office. She calls him a moment later. “Did you memorize those names?” 

“I did and I also made notes on their various activities. I can print out a copy and give it you,” 

“No need. I can access your server from my computer and look at it,” she says, “Tomorrow Mr. Jones, you’re to meet me on the runway on the fifth floor, 11:30 a.m. Jefferson will be there too, with a set of clothes. That’s all, you can go,” 

Killian starts to leave and then stops. “You know, if you wanted, you could bring Henry to this fundraising event. I bet he’d love it,” he suggests. 

“The fundraiser is on a school night and I don’t want him overly tired to focus on school work,” Emma reasons, “But thank you for the suggestion,” 

~~

The rest of the afternoon is quiet. Emma’s mostly in her office and then starts packing up around 5 p.m. Tink leaves around 5:30 and Killian takes off with her. She starts to call a taxi and then Killian asks her to join her at his brother’s bar. Tink hesitates at first and then agrees, letting him lead the way. 

When they arrive, Elsa’s already there talking to Liam and enjoying her dinner. 

“You’re out of work early brother,” Liam muses. 

“Ms. Swan left work early,” he says, “Liam, Elsa, this is Tink Rose, Ms. Swan’s first assistant. We have desks across from each other outside Ms. Swan’s office,” 

Tink shakes both of their hands and sits on one of the bar stools. “This is your bar,  _ The Jolly Roger _ ?” 

Liam smiles. “She’s all mine,” he says, “And so is this lovely lady over here,” referring to Elsa.

A waitress comes over with a menu for Killian and Tink. 

“Oh my god, roast lamb! I haven’t had roast lamb in ages, not since Christmas three years ago when I went home to New Zealand to visit my family,” Tink says excitedly. “Put me down with roast lamb please and a strawberry kiwi punch,” 

Liam grins and hands off the order to one of his servers. Killian orders soup and salad. 

“Little brother, Elsa, has some news that she wants to share,” he teases. 

“Does she now?” he muses, turning to her. 

“I’m pregnant,” she says. 

“Oh, congratulations!” Tink smiles, “I don’t know you very well, but that’s wonderful,” 

“Thank you,” 

“So, does Henry go to private school?” Killian asks, and Liam looks at his brother oddly. 

“Who’s Henry?” 

“Ms. Swan’s eleven year old son,” Tink explains, “Henry goes to public school actually. Ms. Swan thought that even though they had all this money and could totally afford private, public was a better environment for him because he could be a normal kid and not have to deal with stuck-up kids with trust funds. She’s a lot more down to earth than you might think,” 

Killian plays with his drink. “It’s Ms. Swan, she’s never been married,” he notes, “or has she?” 

“Nope, never married. I would love it if she finally settled down and give herself a space to breathe away from the company, but she hasn’t found him yet,” Tink continues, “I know Henry would love it if his mum had a boyfriend,” 

“Why doesn’t she date?” 

Tink starts giggling. “You’re full of all sorts of questions tonight, Mr. Jones,” she teases, “especially private ones regarding your boss,” 

“We’ve noticed that too,” Elsa adds, “What’s going on Killian?” 

Killian shrugs. “Just curious,” he lies. 

Tink looks at Liam. “Your brother is going to be Ms. Swan’s date for a charity event later this week,” 

“You will?” Liam questions, “Sounds like fun. All these questions then are to get to know his date a little better,”

“First of all, this is not a date. It’s a job-related charity function,” Killian corrects. 

“Who’s picking who up?” Elsa asks. 

Killian sighs. “I don’t know yet. She’s picking me up, I assume,” he reasons, “Will is probably driving,” 

“Will has to stay home with Henry and watch him for the night,” Tink corrects. 

“What does it matter who is picking up whom?” 

“Have you been to her house?” Tink asks. 

Killian doesn’t say and he doesn’t want to say what he has. “I am not answering that question,” he retorts, taking a long drink. 

“You have been to her place. She probably did that so you would know where to go in case you needed to pick her up,” Tink continues, “There’s no need to be ashamed of admitting you’ve been there. Formalities aside, I’ve been friends with Emma since she arrived in New York. She doesn’t do certain things without a purpose in mind and that includes how she behaves in and outside of work. She likes you,” 

“I don’t think she does,” 

“Why not?” Tink counters. 

“Because I don’t believe that she does. Plus, she’s my boss and any kind of relationship would be inappropriate,” he notes. 

“It’s 2018, this isn’t Victorian England. People date in the workplace all the time,” 

“She does have a point Killian,” Elsa adds, “I know your brother and I did not meet in the workplace, but we met when he catered for my company,” 

“And that was the last time I’m ever doing that,” he reasons. 

Killian buries his face in his hands. 

“You do like her,” Tink continues. 

“Maybe a little,” he admits, “But she is still my boss,” 

tbc


	5. Kiss and Don't Tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why don’t you call me by my first name?” he wonders and she turns back to him. “Mr. Jones is so formal,” 
> 
> She comes down the steps to meet him halfway. “You have to earn that Mr. Jones and thus far, you’ve only been working for me for three days. You’re not there yet, but you will be there one day, once I feel that you have earned it,” she tells him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!!!

Killian arrives at the office as usual, checking in with Tink and asking if she got home okay after last night’s late dinner at Liam’s bar. The way she massages her forehead and doesn’t say a word tells him that she has a slight hangover this morning and isn’t really in the mood to talk. Killian checks his morning schedule, 11:30 a.m. runway practice in the fourth-floor showroom. Emma is marked down attending as well as Jefferson and his assistant Alice. 

Emma comes into the office around 10:30 a.m., wearing a black long sleeve, knee-high dress and a swan fur coat, and of course, her round sunglasses. Killian stands to attention when she passes his desk, and Tink gets to her feet a little later. 

“Wait here 20 minutes and then go downstairs to the showroom,” she instructs, “Tink, I need soy vanilla cappuccino, extra large and no foam on top with a hint of cinnamon. When you’re done getting that, please cancel my other appointments this morning. I will be busy downstairs teaching Mr. Jones how to walk,” 

Tink rushes with her coffee order and Killian counts the minutes until he has to get up. He makes a quick run to the men’s bathroom, and when he comes back to his desk, Tink is back with Emma’s coffee. 

“I’ll take it to her,” he offers. 

Tink hands him a coffee cup and makes his way into her office. Emma’s busy looking through men’s fashion magazines and putting stickies on pages she likes with comments. “Your coffee m’lady,” he says, setting it down on her desk. “What’s that?” 

She quirks an eyebrow and looks up at him. “Please tell me you know what a men’s fashion magazine looks like?” she says, “This is  _ The Debut _ , the premiere men’s fashion magazine in New York. The Editor’s-in-Chief will be at the fashion show we will be attending in a few weeks, and they will instruct their top journalists to write glowing reviews of the clothes that they see. If all goes according to plan, your pictures will be in this magazine and in catalogs for our customers to buy,” 

Killian looks over her notes. He notices that their styles are a bit more outlandish than what he’s tried on so far. “I’m going to wear something like that?” 

“We’re trying for a conservative but stylish look, but you may try something like this in the coming weeks, but nothing too over the top. We do have our standards,” she notes, “Shouldn’t you be downstairs now, Mr. Jones?” 

Killian rushes out of her office and takes the elevator to the fourth floor. Once he gets off the elevator, he asks where to find the showroom and he bumps into Jefferson in the lobby. 

“There you are, finally! I was about to send out a search party for you,” Jefferson cries, grabbing his arms and dragging him to the showroom. 

“Ms. Swan will be down shortly,” he says. 

“Whatever,” Jefferson cuts him off, shoving his first set of clothes into his arms, “Try these on first and change backstage,”

After he changes, Killian peeks out from behind the curtains. The showroom and runway are mostly empty, the lights are turned on, there’s a boombox and audio setup and Emma’s just arrived with coffee in hand, talking to Jefferson. 

“Mr. Jones, are you ready to show us what you can do? I didn’t clear my schedule this morning so I could sit out here and drink coffee,” Ms. Swan calls back, “As tempting as it is, I still have a fashion house to run,” 

Killian comes out from behind the curtain and walks down the runway. When he gets to the end of it, he just turns around and walks backstage. 

“Okay, do that again,” Emma orders, “But when you come here, stop and turn your body to the left and to the right to pose, then walk back. You always need to give photographers time to take as many pictures as they need,” 

Killian walks back down the runway, then pauses at the front, turning to each side, counting in his head for how long to stay in that pose before turning to the other. 

Emma gets up from her seat and fixes his shoulders, pushing him to lean back slightly. “Remember, you’re still a human being. You need to show some slack, but not too much, and if there are pockets, and there usually are, you can put one hand in them while you pose,” she says, “Try that again,” 

Killian starts from the beginning again, walking down the runway but relaxes his shoulders this time when he needs to pose, slipping one hand in a pocket. After Emma’s satisfied with the first couple tries, she orders a wardrobe change and Jefferson gives him a new outfit to wear. 

This one has a long dark gray fur coat with a sash and a black suit underneath. He changes into that and puts on a large coat, and it is heavy. He comes out wearing his coat and suit, walking down the runway the same as before. 

“No matter how many different outfits change you have, the walk should become second nature to you,” Emma notes, “No smiling either. Photographers and journalists don’t come to these shows to see your face. They need to see how clothes work on your body. Below is where the attention is,” 

“How much longer do I perform like this?” 

Emma shrugs, smirking behind her coffee cup, “Until you’re comfortable with how you look, no matter what you wear,” 

Killian sighs, giving the runway another go and then after the next turn, Jefferson gives him more clothes to try on. This one he notices are men’s pajamas. 

“No, absolutely not!” he rails. 

“What’s the problem now?” Emma interrupts. 

“Men’s underwear? Is this really necessary?” 

“You think we only make men’s wear for work?” she counters, “Men don’t sleep in the clothes that they’ve been wearing for most of their day. You should know, you’re a guy,” 

“I know but…” 

“There are no ‘buts’ Mr. Jones. This is what you signed up for when you took on this job,” Emma continues, “Look, you have nothing to worry about. Jefferson’s gay and Alice and I are the only females here, we’re both professionals. Put on the jammies,” 

Killian takes black silk pajamas and returns backstage for a change. Before he comes out, he clears his throat to let them know that he’s ready. 

The showroom feels cold, and he feels it on his skin as he walks down the runway in his pajamas. The shirt fits him perfectly and it feels like he isn’t wearing clothes at all. He comes down to the end of the runway, stops and poses. 

He glances quickly at Emma’s reaction and she is staring at him and he swears for a moment, he can see the lust in her eyes but he ignores it. She doesn’t think of him that way. She doesn’t even remember the kiss that night. 

“I think we should take a break,” Emma says finally, “Pick things up after lunch,” 

Killian sighs. “Thank goodness,” he cries and hurries backstage to change back into his regular clothes. 

Jefferson goes on to get something to eat, but Emma waits around for Killian to come out again. 

“You did good today, Mr. Jones,” she compliments. 

“It is bloody freezing in here,” he complains, “I could feel my nipples harden walking down the runway,” 

Emma perks up a little bit. Was that the only thing that hardened? 

“Come on, I’ll treat you to lunch,” she offers. 

“Again?” 

“Sure, why not? You’ve been a good sport for prancing down the runway, even though I could tell that you hated most of it,” she reasons. 

Killian laughs. “This isn’t exactly my dream career,” he notes. 

“I know, a BA in journalism from one of the best schools in New York and you get stuck playing model and occasionally serving as my personal assistant. Worst job ever,” she mocks him. 

~~

Emma wants to take him back to the sushi place but Killian tries to convince her to treat him to lunch at his brother’s bar. She still owes him that anyway. Emma refuses and instead takes him to a make-it-yourself salad bar. The bar is more like a cafeteria style buffet and you can pick and choose whatever you like. 

“Look, this is my treat, so if you want to add bacon or anything that you’re not normally allowed to eat, go right ahead. But keep in mind, you still have to fit into the clothes that you’re trying on for the show,” she reminds him. 

Killian stocks up on low-cholesterol meats but mostly fills his salad bowl with veggies and also orders clam chowder. Baguettes are a big no. They find a table near the back. 

“You still owe me that dinner,” he reminds her. 

“Later,” she snaps. 

Killian eats his salad in silence. 

During lunch, Emma gets a text from Jefferson saying that he’s back in the showroom and asks where they are. She texts back that she’s eating lunch and might be awhile. Her schedule for the morning is cleared anyway, but to be sure, she also asks Tink to take care of whatever needs to be done upstairs without her. Just call in case of an emergency. 

After lunch, Emma pays the bill and they walk back to the office. They stop for another coffee and, on the way inside, someone calls out her name on the street. Emma stops to look for photographers or paps; instead, she finds her ex-boyfriend coming over to them. 

“Ems, I said hello,” he says, “How are you?”

“In a rush,” she says, “I have a showing in a few weeks to prepare. What do you want Walsh?” 

“Are you free one evening for dinner? I miss you,” 

She smiles politely at him. “I don’t miss you,” she says, “Anyway, I am not in the mood to date at the moment.” 

Emma takes Killian’s arm and leads him inside. Killian doesn’t say anything on the way up back to the showroom, but he is curious if that Walsh person is Henry’s father. Maybe he can ask her later. 

Killian continues to practice his catwalk for the next three hours, trying on a different assortment of clothes. Emma occasionally gives him tips and tries to help adjust his body with each new set. At one point while helping him, she brushes too closely and rubs against his penis. Killian doubts she realizes it though because her face is expressionless. 

Around 3:30, they call it quits and give him the option to continue working upstairs until 4 or head home. She still has work to catch up on since she spent most of the day critiquing his runway walk. 

Killian opts to stay until 4 but he quickly finds around 4:05 when he’s ready to leave, Emma asks him to stay and helps her review notes from the art department. Tink’s already taken off. 

They sit together in her office and split the work, going through each design. Emma dictates notes for him to write down on stickies and put them onto the appropriate sketch. 

It’s 5 p.m. now and he can tell that his boss is starting to feel drowsy and stressed. 

“We can call it quits now and pick this up tomorrow,” he offers, “Henry’s probably waiting for you at home,” 

“Oh my God, Henry,” she cries and picks up her iPhone, calling the house. 

Will picks up. “Evening Emma,” he greets her. 

“Has Henry had his dinner yet?” 

“I warmed up some frozen food in the fridge and he’s busy finishing up his homework. No need to worry lass. Everything is under control here,” 

“Thanks Will,” she says, looking at Killian, “I may have to stay here late and catch up on some work. Can you stay there overnight?” 

“I can,” he says, “I always bring a spare change of clothes when watching the lad,” 

“Good. Thanks again Will,” she says and hangs up. 

“Seriously Swan,” Killian starts, “We can pick this up tomorrow. Go home and be with your boy. I know you miss him,” 

Emma helps herself to another drink of her coffee. “We’ll finish what we can by 5:30 and then call it quits,” she says. 

Killian agrees. 

~~

They miss the 5:30 mark to call it quits and wrap up their work by a quarter to 6. 

They’re the last ones in the office, Emma closes up and they take her personal elevator downstairs. The pair of them start to walk towards Emma’s house and then Killian makes a detour to his brother’s bar, dragging his boss inside for that promised dinner. 

Liam’s at the bar as usual, talking to some patrons when he notices his brother and Emma. 

“There you are little brother. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to leave your work,” he teases him. 

“Liam, this is my boss, Ms. Emma Swan,” he says. 

Emma shakes Liam’s hand and sits on the bar stool. She sticks out like a sore thumb in this place with her fancy swan coat and tight black dress. 

“What can I get you both?” 

Emma looks over the menu and orders fish and chips while Killian orders Shepherd’s Pie. Liam gives them drinks in the house while they wait for their food. 

“That man we met on the street earlier -- was he - is he?” Killian starts. 

“Henry’s father?” she finishes, “No. He's just a guy I dated. We broke up after I found out that he cheated on me with my rival,” 

Killian smirks. “You have a rival?” 

Emma smacks him. “Fashion is a cut-throat business, Mr. Jones. You should know that and yes, I have a fashion rival. She’s been making knock-offs of my designs for years, always trying to get ahead in what I’m up too. She romanced Walsh and got close to him, all to find out what was our best seller for the current line we were working on. I haven’t dated anyone since Walsh, because you never know if the guy is a spy for the competition,” she reasons. 

“Considering how little I know about the fashion business in general, I doubt I know who your rival is,” he counters. 

“True,” she agrees, “Regina Mills. She runs her fashion house with her sister Zelena. Regina’s does business side of things and Zelena, well, she makes contacts,” 

“Nope, can’t say I’ve heard of them,” 

Emma smiles at him appreciatively. 

“Walsh cheating on you, was that the only reason you swore off dating?” he wonders. 

Emma doesn’t say, not wanting and really not ready to get into that part of her history. Liam comes back with their food and another round of drinks for them. 

~~

Emma pays for their dinner and tips Liam very well, more than he’s accustomed to for dinner and welcomes her back anytime. Killian walks her back to her place around the corner. The lights are off, which means both Will and Henry are already asleep. 

“Thank you for dinner, Ms. Swan,” he says. 

“You’re welcome Mr. Jones,” she replies, looking for her keys. 

“Why don’t you call me by my first name?” he wonders and she turns back to him. “Mr. Jones is so formal,” 

She comes down the steps to meet him halfway. “You have to earn that Mr. Jones and thus far, you’ve only been working for me for three days. You’re not there yet, but you will be there one day, once I feel that you have earned it,” she tells him. 

Killian doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t snap at her. Emma goes back to looking for her keys. 

“Do you honestly not remember the kiss we shared a few nights ago?” he questions. 

Emma sighs, her cheeks flushing a deep red. Now is not the time or place to discuss this. “Good night Mr. Jones,” she says simply, finally finding her keys and going inside. 

tbc


	6. Messy and Dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once she realizes that Emma drops the bottle on the floor and seconds later, Will comes downstairs with a baseball bat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!!!

The moment Emma gets inside her house, she lets out a deep breath. 

Of course she remembers that stolen kiss a few nights ago with her second assistant. It’s safe to say that she has been feeling more inclined to spend time with him than usual but she also reminds herself that he is still her employee and that she has strict rules against dating in the workplace. 

There really isn’t a rule and she knows of a few quiet relationships around the office but as long as her staff gets their work done, they can sleep with whoever they want. 

That’s not an option for her. 

Emma Swan is the CEO and president of a major fashion company and Killian Jones is her lead model and assistant. He’s her employee, not her friend, lover, boyfriend or whatever. 

Although she has a distinct memory from earlier in the day when she was directing him how to walk and pose on the runway, brushing up closely against him and feeling that large bulge of his through that silky black pajama fabric.

That brief touch shot straight to her arousal and she instantly started to feel herself becoming wet. 

Her lead model, with his British accent, jet black hair and amazing blue eyes, is undeniably sexy. But she still has to keep up appearances, and that includes keeping her hormones and feelings in check whenever she’s around him. Those feelings will be harder to hide when she’s on her date with him for the charity event. Killian will be by her side for the rest of the evening. 

It makes Emma’s hands tremble and she has to inhale and exhale a few times. 

What has gotten into her? 

She has never felt so scared of a man before. 

The last serious relationship she was in was with Walsh, but that doesn’t stop her from itching that itch when she needs it. Will is discreet enough when something comes up at work and then uses that free time to look for a hot guy somewhere and sleep with him. Then leave afterward. 

No emotional attachments, she doesn’t get hurt and no scandal. 

But it’s different for her second assistant. 

Emma finds herself opening up more to him everyday and it terrifies her. 

Then Emma realizes that maybe he shouldn’t be her assistant. Maybe he should just be her model and let Jefferson take care of handling him. She can go back to focusing on work and feeling nothing. 

Feelings are messy and dangerous. 

Emma takes off her heels, drops her purse on the couch and goes to the kitchen, reopening that bottle of red wine she started a few nights ago. The same bottle that led to her kissing him in her bedroom. Once she realizes that Emma drops the bottle on the floor and seconds later, Will comes downstairs with a baseball bat. He puts it away once he sees it’s only her. 

“Sorry I woke you,” she says, “Hand me the dustpan and brush please, Will?”

Will puts the bat away and finds what she needs. He tells her to move aside and dutifully cleans up the mess and empties out the shards of glass into the trash and wipes down the rest of the floor with antibacterial wipes. 

“You don’t seem yourself, Ms. Swan,” he starts, “Anything you want to talk about?”

“Not at the moment,” she muses, “Go back to bed Will and thanks for the clean-up,” 

“Suit yourself then,” he says and returns to the guest room. 

Emma sits in the kitchen for a few more minutes and then goes to her room, takes off her dress and hangs it up in her large walk-in closet. Her thoughts turn once again to Killian and the kiss from a few nights ago. 

_ Shit _ , she needs to stop thinking about him. 

Emma steps out from her closet and goes to her bathroom instead, turns on the vent and shower knob, setting it to a light sprinkle. She needs to calm her body down and stop thinking about a certain Englishman who works in her office. Emma steps out of her underwear and removes her bra before stepping into the shower and under the hot spray of water. 

The feel of the droplets on her skin helps her relax and she closes her eyes, breathing slowly. Her mind is clear, and there’s no man in it. 

For about a second. 

Suddenly, her mind is filled with visions of Killian coming into the bathroom wearing those black silk pajamas he modeled for her today before stripping it from his body and joining her in the shower. 

Her mind betrays her in the worst way possible. 

Water falls from his hair onto his back and runs down that glorious chest. He has that smug look on his face and pulls her close to him, teasing her wetness with his cock. 

Emma bites her lip and sucks in her breath, feeling the heat from her fantasy pool around her thighs. 

Fantasy Killian doesn’t waste time claiming to be his, pulling her closer onto his knee and coming fully into her and gyrating his hips against her until she feels herself becoming completely undone. 

Emma moans and shuts her eyes tighter, falling back against the tile and taking herself in the heat. She has to remember to be quiet, though, because Will and Henry are asleep in their rooms feet away from her. Emma strokes herself more gently, trying to drag out her orgasm so she doesn’t scream. 

When she finally cums, her fantasy Killian disappears and all she sees is blackness. 

~~

When Emma awakes the following morning, she’s surprised to find herself in her own bed and the shower off. She has no memory of leaving the shower after she orgasmed and going to bed, but she must have regained consciousness at some point and managed to make it to her bed. Emma gets up again, showers without touching herself and starts to get ready for work. 

She gets to work around 10:30 a.m., but before taking the elevator upstairs, she stops by the massage spa on the 2nd floor. She rarely makes visits there, but this time Emma feels like she needs a walk-in massage to help further clear her thoughts. 

“I need an appointment right away for a back message," 

Belle, the girl, looks through the morning schedule. “Um, sorry Ms. Swan, but we’re all booked up this morning. There won’t be a free spot until 3pm,” she says. 

“Okay, let me say it again. I need a morning appointment for a back massage, stress on the  _ morning part _ of that request,” Emma reminds her, “So I suggest that you scratch out someone on that list who can do with a later appointment and put my name down instead,” 

Belle looks back at the morning list and does exactly what she says, putting his/her name onto the waitlist for the afternoon. “Yeah, Jasmine can take you,” she says. 

“Perfect. Thank you Belle,” she says and heads up to her office. 

A moment later, Killian walks into the spa, greeting Belle. He heard about this place from Tink and was beyond ecstatic that the company has its own spa for employees. The last couple of days have been stressful and his body needs to unwind and stop thinking about his boss. Clearly, Emma doesn’t  _ like  _ him and needs to get over that. Last night proved that when he point-blank asked her if she truly didn’t remember the kiss. 

“Hello Belle,” he says, reading her name tag, “Tink said you had free space for a new customer,” 

“Yeah, sorry Mr. Jones, but there was an emergency request and I had to give your spot to that customer,” Belle says, “But I can pencil you in for this afternoon around 3 if you would like,” 

Killian scowls. “No, you don’t have to do that, but thanks for the offer anyway,” he says and returns to the office. 

~~

Emma walks into the office a quarter to noon and finds Killian clenching his jaw at his desk, reviewing the names on the guest list for the charity event and taking notes. “Mr. Jones, can I see you in my office?” she asks, walking past him. 

He stops what he’s doing and follows her inside her office. Emma sits down at her desk, clears some things from yesterday and looks at him. “What progress have you made in reviewing those names?” 

“Much, Ms. Swan,” he says, “I’m about ready for tomorrow night. Jefferson called up earlier and said that he would be at my brother’s flat around 3 to help get me ready for the event. I should be ready to pick you up at your house around 5:30 p.m.,” 

“I’ve ordered a limo to come and pick you up. The driver will pick me up first and then come to you,” she corrects him. 

“Oh,” he muses, “Okay,” 

Emma stands and walks to the front of the desk, leaning her hands on the edges as she stands in front of him. “I also wanted to put down some ground rules for tomorrow evening’s event,” she continues, “This is a strictly professional function, Mr. Jones, not a date. Despite not being in the office and working, you will be working at this event, for me. That means if the press asks you questions regarding your role in the company, you’re expected to answer honestly and say that it is an honor to be  _ The Jeweled Swan _ ’s up and coming new male model, no matter how much you might hate this job. Act for the cameras and make the reporters believe that you love this job, you love working for me as my assistant and you’re a natural model. If you stick with that, we’ll get through this evening together without a crisis. The media always panics a little bit whenever a new model is hired. You have to assure them that you know what you’re doing,” 

“Aye,” he promises, “and it’s not a date,” 

“No, it isn’t,” she says flatly. 

He raises an eyebrow and looks at her slyly. “Is it really an important distinction, for you, that this event is not a date?” he wonders. 

Emma leans off the desk and sits in her chair. “We’re done speaking here, Mr. Jones. You can go,” she says, “Please send in Tink to help finish what we were working on last night.” 

Killian returns to his work and tells Tink that Ms. Swan needs her assistance. He sits at his iMac and looks through his company email. There isn’t much there, most he throws into the trash or sends it to spam. Jefferson doesn’t call him at all for fittings and Emma’s busy working with Tink in her office, leaving him alone with his devices. 

He runs out for an early lunch and drops into Liam’s bar. 

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here in the middle of the day brother,” he says, “Take a seat,” 

Killian sits on one of the bar stools and orders a ham and cheese grilled sandwich with potato chips. Liam puts it in and comes back quickly. 

“What’s wrong Killian?”

“I don’t know to be honest. I thought that Emma -- Ms. Swan liked me, but I’m not so sure anymore. She kissed me a few nights ago, you know,” he says. 

Liam’s eyes widen. “She kissed you and what happened? Are the two of you in a relationship now?” 

“No, we’re not. She denied twice remembering the event,” 

Liam grins. “Oh, she remembers little brother,” he teases. 

“Then why lie to me?” 

“You’re her employee and she probably feels embarrassed because of her actions, or fears that you’ll sue her for sexual harassment. That’s a big thing nowadays,” he reasons. 

“I suppose so. It’s just that I thought we were starting to have a nice relationship,” Killian continues. 

Liam’s grin widens. “You’re in love with her,” he realizes. 

“Bullocks Liam,” he retorts, “Don’t be ridiculous. I know better than to fall in love with my boss and let my feelings get in the way of a professional relationship,” 

“You are just as bad as she is,” 

Killian feels his iPhone vibrates and it’s Tink, asking where he is. Liam brings out his food to go, Killian thanks him and has to run back to the office. When he comes back to his station Emma’s standing there in front of her office and looks very unhappy. “Jones, my office, now,” she demands. 

Killian reluctantly follows her into her office, leaving Tink outside at her desk. 

“Where the hell were you? You’re not supposed to leave this office without letting someone know where you’re going to be,” she fumes. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know that I had to walk around with a collar on my neck,” he retorts angrily, “I went to my brother’s bar for lunch since you were busy working with Tink,” 

Emma’s eyes blink rapidly and she feels her pulse boiling, looking at him. She also subconsciously licks her lips at the image of a collar around his neck with an added chain that she can use to drag him around with. “Next time, you let Tink or I know before you go out or leave this building,” she warns him. 

Killian promises and starts walking out, then stops, turning back to her. “I put up with a lot of shit in this job, working for you Ms. Swan. Some days are better than others. But just when I think I’ve broken through your cold exterior, those walls of yours go right up again,” 

“Your point?” she asks. 

“You might want to try something new that might make this relationship easier for both of us,  _ trust _ ,” he says and walks out. 

tbc


	7. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bad day at work little brother?” 
> 
> “I think I might quit. No, you know what? I will quit. After I attend this benefit event tomorrow night, I’m quitting. That woman is insufferable..she just…” he rants, taking a long sip of his beer. 

Around 4:30 pm Emma comes out of her office and dismisses Killian for the rest of the day. She’s still angry with him. Rather than argue some more, Killian picks up his stuff and leaves. Tink watches him go and looks over at Emma, who briefly makes eye contact with her before she shuts her office door. 

Tink’s unsure if she should say something. Emma’s temper is infamous but Tink also feels like she needs to say something. She knocks on Emma’s door and asks to see her. 

Emma calls back that she can enter and Tink comes in. 

“What?” she snaps. 

“Okay, I don’t know what is going on between you two but…” 

“But what?” Emma asks, looking up at her friend. 

Tink hesitates for a moment. “Killian’s trying really hard to make this job work. You’re not helping him adjust,” she says.

Emma sighs. “It would help if his attitude were better,” she snaps at her friend, “If he continues on the way he is, I’m going to have to let him go,” 

“No, you can’t do that. We’re weeks away from our New York Fashion Week debut. We can’t risk looking for another model this late in the game,” she says. 

Emma shrugs. “Put out an ad quietly on Craigslist for all I care. As far as I’m concerned, after fashion week is done, he’s done working here,” 

“You two were getting along so well the last couple of days...what changed?” 

“Nothing has changed,” Emma bites back, “Now, if you excuse me, I have fashion-related task assignment things to do that need my attention,” 

Tink shakes her head and leaves her office, returning to her desk. 

~~

Killian finds himself at Liam’s bar as usual and orders two large pints of guinness. He hates his job and he bloody hates working for that harpy of the boss of his, Emma Swan. That woman is...she’s just so infuriating. Liam comes back with three glasses, two for his brother and the extra for himself. He’s not supposed to drink on the job, but Liam has a pretty good tolerance and Killian looks like he needs a drinking buddy. 

“Bad day at work little brother?” 

“I think I might quit. No, you know what? _I will quit_. After I attend this benefit event tomorrow night, I’m quitting. That woman is insufferable..she just…” he rants, taking a long sip of his beer. 

Liam shakes his head. “Seriously, I do not know why you two don’t fuck already and get all the sexual tension out of the way so you can have a better relationship at work,” he says flatly. 

Killian fists his hands. “I am not -- I wouldn’t -- you should know brother that is _not_ who I am!” he says. 

“Really? Because I swear if you weren’t here, you should be wherever she is and fucking already,” Liam continues, “Look at you Killian, you’re all wound up over a woman. Admit it, you absolutely cannot stand that she isn’t receptive to your usual flirty charming self and it is driving you nuts,” 

“What I can’t stand about her is how she continually looks down on me. One moment she’s an open book and then the next, this cold facade comes on and she’s back to being this ice queen,” he continues. 

“You two need to fuck,” Liam says. 

“Would you please stop saying that?” Killian snaps, “I DO NOT NEED TO FUCK EMMA SWAN!” 

The whole bar gets silent all of the sudden and stare at Killian. 

“No, I think you do because now the whole bars knows that you definitely need to fuck your boss,” Liam reasons. 

~~

Killian leaves his brother’s bar in a fit and starts walking back to the flat. On his way however, a black car pulls up and starts driving slowly beside him on the street. It's bloody her car again, he realizes and starts walking faster, not wanting to have to see his boss’ face until tomorrow evening. The window finally rolls down and sure enough, Emma’s head pops out. 

“Are you stalking me now, love?” he questions. 

Emma sighs. “I wanted to apologize,” she says, “I’m sorry for being a bitch to you this afternoon,” 

“You really are a piece of work Ms. Swan,” Killian continues, “I was thinking after tomorrow night’s event that I would quit,” 

Emma tells her driver to stop the car and she gets out to stand with him on the sidewalk. “You can’t quit,” she pleas. 

“Why the bloody not? You haven’t given me a good reason why I shouldn’t? You obviously think that I am under qualified to be a model, even though I know that’s the job you prefer for me. Honestly, I cannot see myself continuing with the diet I have to maintain this perfect physique for you, even for Jefferson on a yearly basis,” 

“I need you,” she says, “Don’t quit,”

He stands a little closer to her. “If I stay, some things need to change between us love. For starters, _respect_. That is how you make a happy employee, especially a second assistant like me. Secondly, you have to let go of whatever insecurities you have and actually start treating me like a person instead of a piece of meat,” 

Emma’s draw drops. “You think that I ogle you?” she counters. 

“I think that you overstep your boundaries at times when we’re at the office but I don’t say anything because you sign my paychecks,” he continues, “Thirdly, let down those walls of yours and start acting with feeling. You would be surprised how people become receptive to you once they know that you’re not going to bite their head off the moment they open their mouths,” 

“I, uh…” she stammers, “Any other advice Mr. Jones?” 

“No, that’s it,” he says, “There is one other thing actually. Honesty. You have to be honest with me,” 

Emma crosses her arms and smiles at him. “And what do I need to be honest with you about?” 

“Do you remember the kiss?” he asks again. 

“If I say yes, will you shut up already about this topic?” 

“Aye,” 

Emma hesitates. “Maybe I remember the kiss but my memory of that night is very blurry. Alcohol does that to a person, along with drowsiness,” she says, “Does that satisfy your curiosity, Mr. Jones?” 

He backs down. “For now,” he muses. 

“Good,” she says, going back to her car. She holds the door open and looks at him. “Well, are you coming?”

Killian raises an eyebrow and comes over to the car. “To go where?” he counters. 

“It’s freezing cold out and I don’t want my lead model to catch a cold the day before his big debut. I’ll give you a ride to your brother’s flat. Are you coming?” she asks. 

Killian comes closer to the car and slides into the backseat beside her. He looks up at the driver and starts giving him directions. “It’s just two blocks from here,” he says. 

They sit in silence for the duration of the ride, both of them looking in different directions and Killian occasionally tells the driver where to turn. Killian tells the driver to stop once he recognizes that they are less than a block away. 

“You remember your promise to me, Ms. Swan,” he says. 

She turns around and looks at him. “I’ll try and be more human, for you, if it’ll make you happy,” she promises. 

“Humanity isn’t so bad. Every now and then, people can surprise you lass,” he says and gets out of the car, “Good night Ms. Swan,” 

“Good night Kill -- Mr. Jones,” she says. 

Emma shuts the car door behind him and tells the driver to go. Killian smiles after her. She almost said his name but stopped herself. Maybe he is starting to get through to her after all. 

tbc


	8. Melting Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment later, there’s a knock at the front door and he opens it. Emma’s standing there wearing that red-long-sleeveless dress and her hair is styled into a simple bun with light makeup on her face and red lipstick. 
> 
> “Bloody hell, Swan, you look…” he breathes. 

Killian sleeps in a little the next day, waking around 10:00. He can afford to, since he isn’t expected to work at the office and then come home and get ready for this fundraising event tonight. Liam’s awake, making breakfast and doesn’t have to open the bar until 11:30 a.m. 

“Morning little brother,” he greets him, making some bacon and eggs, “Did you sleep well?” 

“I’m calmer if that’s what you mean,” he says, pouring himself some coffee, “Ms. Swan found me walking home yesterday and apologized for her behavior,” 

Liam raises an eyebrow. “She did? Wow. I guess the swan’s teeth aren’t as sharp as they appear,” 

“Swan’s don’t have teeth,” 

“I know little brother. I was kidding,” he says, “So tonight’s the big fashion ball thing,” 

“It’s a fundraising event for foster kids, to help raise money for their education and training for social workers,” Killian corrects him. 

Liam spoons his egg out of the skillet and makes another batch for his brother. “That’s honorable of her. Many celebrities have their own pet charities, but few invest in foster kids who need help. I’m glad that at least she does,” he says. 

“Aye,” 

The brothers enjoy breakfast together, then Liam cleans his teeth and is out the door before a quarter to eleven. 

Killian cleans up the dishes, then showers himself. He is feeling better since he talked with his boss last night about how things need to change between them. It has been insufferable working under her with the way she’s been treating him since day one. Something needed to be said. 

He’s also glad that maybe she remembers the kiss. Killian doubts that she’s telling him the whole truth about not remembering it, but he’s not going to push any further. He has a light lunch around 12:30, watches some TV and then around 3, there’s a knock at the door. There’s Jefferson with his suit and Alice carrying a bag of hair care supplies. 

“Did you shower already?” he asks. 

“Yes, this morning after breakfast.” 

Jefferson sniffs at him and backs away. “You need to shower again,” he says and removes two bottles from his fashion bag, “But use these this time. I need a big mirror and a place where I can groom you,” 

“Um, Liam’s master bathroom has a big mirror,” 

“Perfect. Is Liam your boyfriend?” 

“My older brother,” he corrects. 

Jefferson looks him up and down and smiles. “So nice to know that there’s an older version of you that exists,” he muses, “Use these products and then come to me when you’re done and we’ll work on your hair,” 

Killian takes the shampoo and conditioner, showering again. 

Half an hour later, Killian finishes his second shower and comes out wearing a fresh new towel and finds Jefferson in Liam’s master bathroom, setting up his grooming supplies. Alice taps his shoulder and Jefferson turns, looking at him. 

“Fuck me,” he says. 

Killian looks down at himself and then remembers that Jefferson is gay. “I’m also straight,” he reminds him. 

“I know, such a shame,” Jefferson muses, biting his fist. “Come on now, we need to get started on that head of yours,” 

Jefferson tries out a few different funky hairstyles on him, something that will stand out but not look ridiculous. Killian’s hair starts looking like a peacock, and it is not a pretty sight. “I think simpler might be better,” he offers. 

“You cannot tell how an artist how to paint, nor can you dictate how a story should be written,” Jefferson cites, “Let me sculpt and trust my fingers,” 

Killian rolls his eyes. “Shouldn’t I at least be wearing a shirt?” 

“That’s not necessary at the moment,” 

After another thirty minutes, Jefferson starts fixing his hair simply - as in - nothing too hard rock - but appropriate for the event and then he shoes him away to get changed. As soon as he leaves the chair, Emma calls Jefferson’s phone. “Hello darling,” he greets her, “We’re just about done. He should be ready by the time you come by,” 

Around 5 p.m., Killian hears a car honk up front and he peeks through the front window and it’s a medium-sized stretch limo. Jefferson helps clean up Killian’s suit, fix his collar and do last-minute hair styling. 

A moment later, there’s a knock at the front door and he opens it. Emma’s standing there wearing that red-long-sleeveless dress and her hair is styled into a simple bun with light makeup on her face and red lipstick. 

“Bloody hell, Swan, you look…” he breathes. 

She blushes. “You look…” she starts, eyeing him from head to toe, “Jefferson, you -- I think I need to give you a raise,” 

“Wow! Did I just hear that correctly? Mark the date and time. I deserve a raise in my salary,” 

Killian clears his throat and offers her his arm. “Shall we then, Swan?” 

“Yes,” she says, unable to take her eyes off him. 

“Um yeah, I’ll just hang out here,” Jefferson calls after him, “Unless you want me to stay, or not?” 

Killian stops walking and tells him to clean up his things and leave everything the way he found it. Liam would not like finding his flat rearranged without his permission. Killian locks up after him with his spare key and he and Emma walk down to the limo. 

~~

The drive to the venue takes only about 40 minutes. Emma is careful of her dress to avoid wrinkles, but he also notices that she keeps a spray can of anti-wrinkles in the backseat. The driver drops them off in front of a long red carpet, both sides lined with photographers and press. 

Emma gets out of the car first, standing a few moments for the cameras to flash at her and then Killian gets out, doing the same. He isn’t sure if he should smile but figures he probably should. After a few seconds of snaps, he goes to Emma’s side and they walk arm in arm down the red carpet leading up to the building. 

They walk through the front door and the bellman asks for their invitation which Emma produces from her purse. The man looks at it and then lets them through, joining the other guests who have congregated in the lobby area. The venue is actually a high-class hotel with signs pointing them to the ballroom, the first stop of the evening before moving to a separate room for a charity auction. 

An usher shows them to their assigned table and seats them. 

“Scared?” she asks. 

“We got through the front door with ease,” he notes, “When does the press stuff happen?” 

“On the way to the auction room,” she says, “But every now and then, some may be floating around the tables taking pictures of the event and asking questions,” 

Around 6:30, dinner is served and Killian has a big grin on his face when he sees his, lemon pepper chicken with mashed hash browns and mixed vegetables. He had been starving himself, eating soup and salad for a week, and now he gets to enjoy eating a big piece of white meat. 

“Down there, Tiger, it looks like you’re ready to pounce on that chicken,” she teases him. 

“If I end up in a food coma by the end of the night, I have no regrets,” 

Emma giggles and he smiles at her. This is a much different Emma than the one he dealt with yesterday. She’s softer and, as she termed it, an actual human being. After dinner, some press floats around the various tables, interviewing guests and taking pictures. 

“Ms. Swan,” a voice says. 

Emma turns and rolls her eyes, taking a long drink of her red wine. “Regina,” she says, “Who did you have to sleep with to get an invite to this? I didn’t see your name on the guest list and I’ve been studying it for days,” 

“I have my connections,” she says and looks at Killian, “My, my, aren’t you a gorgeous thing? Ms. Swan, aren’t you going to introduce me to your date?” 

Killian flinches, remembering Emma saying that this is not a date but a work function. 

“Regina Mills, Killian Jones, my second assistant and the _Jeweled Swan_ ’s new lead model,” she says. 

“A pleasure Mr. Jones,” she says, “Well, I just wanted to come by and say hi. Looking forward to seeing you again Ms. Swan in a few weeks for fashion week. We have a killer showstopper,” 

“So do we,” she snaps. 

Regina smiles at her and leaves. 

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a rival,” Emma notes, taking another drink of her wine. 

“No, you weren’t,” he observes, “Come on. Let’s have a dance,” 

Emma lightens up again. “I would like that Mr. Jones,” she says. 

Killian stands and leads her to the dance floor in the back of the room, finds a spot and drapes an arm around her back while he takes hold of her other. It’s a very formal stance, but they’re also dressed very formally as well. Emma’s surprised once they get going, how much of a good dancer her assistant is. He moves flawlessly across the floor; such a huge contrast from teaching him how to walk like a model. 

“So answer me this,” she starts, “How come you can dance like this, but you have to be taught how to walk like a model?” 

Killian grins. “I joined a dance club in college and caught on very quickly, learning all sorts of moves. My favorite has to be the waltz though, it’s a dying form,” 

“You are full of surprises,” she teases. 

“That I am lass and more,” he teases her, a little too huskily. 

Emma’s breath catches in her throat. “Yeah?” 

He winks at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know, love?” he teases back. 

They dance a while longer and then take a break, going to the refreshments table for another drink. After cooling down, Emma notices that most of the guests are starting to arrive for the auction. They take their seats somewhere near the front row, close to the stage and ushers give them paddles. 

More of the guests file into the room and take their seats, and Killian asks if they are bidding on anything in particular. 

“The items up for bidding are from people’s personal art or antique collections,” she explains to him, “I have a few favorites, but those won’t be put out until the end. Then, a team of accountants will come in to tally the money from the auction and announce it at the end,” 

She notices how he listens to her attentively and makes her eyelashes flutter, among other things. 

The auction gets started and Emma’s shocked to find Regina coming onto the stage and taking the podium. “Welcome guests and friends to the fifth annual ‘Give Back to Foster Kids’ event. My name is Regina Mills, President and CEO of _The Delicious Red Apple_ and I am the bid caller tonight, along with my sister who will be counting your bids. Let’s start raising money for these kids,” she starts. 

“Please, Regina could care less about foster kids. This is totally a publicity stunt to make her company look legitimate,” Emma scoffs.

“Calm down there Swan,” Killian cautions her, placing a hand on her shoulder, “We came here to help raise money for underprivileged kids, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” 

Emma leans over and kisses his cheek, whispering, “Thanks Killian,” 

It isn’t lost upon him that she called his name without hesitation or reservation, but he doesn’t say anything as she turns her attention to the auction. 

tbc


	9. Higher and Higher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you trying to outbid me?” Killian whispers to her. 

“Next, we have a pair of porcelain swans, a lovely centerpiece for any table. These stunning and seductive porcelain swans make a fine choice for those who fancy something a touch more maritime than usual. With these large-necked, stunning beasts completing your work, you are left with a deeply detailed pair of porcelain swans that are completed by their collection of pink, yellow and purple pinched roses, gold and blue leaves with outstanding eloquence,” Regina says, reading off the description card, “Each swan is valued at $45,000.00 with a total number of $90,000. We will start bidding at $130,000.00,” 

Emma smiles. “They’re so beautiful. I want those swans,” she cries. 

Killian raises his paddle. “$144,000.00,” he calls.

“I have a bid of $144,00.00. Do I hear a higher bid?” 

Emma raises her paddle. “$185,000.00!” 

“Are you trying to outbid me?” Killian whispers to her. 

“No, of course not. But if one of us gets it, then it automatically becomes mine,” she says, raising her paddle for another bid, “$190,000.00,” 

“$190,000.00 from Ms. Swan of _The Jeweled Swan_ , the premiere men’s fashion show here in Manhattan. Do I have another bid?” 

Killian raises his paddle and adds another $5,000. 

“The bid is now at $195,000.00 for both porcelain swans. Can we make that a round $200,000.00?” 

Emma raises her paddle for $200,000.00. 

Regina fingers the gavel in her hands, watching the room for another bid. But no one else raises their paddle to her dismay as she calls time and the item is bought by Emma for a grand total of $200,000.00. 

“Bloody hell,” Killian breaths, “Any higher and it would be my paycheck. Congratulations Swan, you have two porcelain swans for your dining room table,” 

“I wouldn’t have let it get that far. I need you,” she reminds him. 

~~

The auction runs another half-hour and more items are sold off, and Zelena is keeping an account of the money raised and who purchased what. At the conclusion, Emma goes up the front and writes out a check for the swans and orders it be delivered to her house. On her way out, the press hound her about the money raised and Killian’s a little behind her. 

“How much do you think the charity raised tonight Ms. Swan?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t do the accounting, but hopefully, the charity overreaches its target goal. I have already generously donated money from our winter sales last year and I hope that more companies start to take part in contributing to making these foster kids’ lives a lot better. It isn’t easy being a foster kid and there’s a statistic out there, kids who age out late in the system end up committing more crime and in juvenile detention. It just becomes an endless cycle that needs to be broken,” she says, and moves away from the crowd. 

Killian finally finds her after making his way through the press crowd. “Well said back there, Swan,” he compliments, his hand on her back. 

“I should know. I’m part of that statistic,” she says. 

Killian doesn’t comment, and they head back to the dining room for coffee, desserts and snacks. They sit down at the same table as before and waiters come around with coffee and varieties of cheesecake, cheese and crackers. Emma takes the white chocolate with cinnamon cheesecake with a cup of coffee and Killian has dark cherry rum-filled cheesecake with light coffee. He is going to be buzzed later. 

“You were a foster kid,” he notes. 

“I was,” she confirms, “I aged out of the system, went back to school and studied fashion. It seemed like a fun and easy course, and then you add the marketing and business side to it,” 

He smiles at her and kisses her hand. “You’ve done quite well for yourself, Ms. Swan. I’m proud of you, and I’m proud to be your model,” he says. 

The kiss sends a shiver down her spine and wants to kiss him right there, but now is not the time or place for such displays of affection. They continue their desserts, and indeed before Killian eats the last piece of his cheesecake, he is feeling the buzz of rum mixed with the coffee. 

Accounting from the auction takes longer than expected, and Emma whispers to them that they don’t have to stick around. 

He feels a little tipsy standing up but covers as he escorts Emma. She notices his walking is -- the walk of a drunk man and directs him to the hotel’s front desk and asks for a room. 

“I thought we were leaving,” he starts. 

“Not tonight,” she says, “Yes, I’d like a room, a suite please,” 

The man looks through the computer for an available suite and finds one on the 9th floor, a double room with one bed. 

Emma looks at Killian and then to the man. “We’ll take it,” she says, and she swipes her card. 

He gives them two card keys and a bellhop escorts them upstairs. The bellman shows them inside and explains the amenities and if they need anything, don’t hesitate to call the front desk. Killian sits down on the bed and starts to remove his shoes and undoes his shirt. Rum is hitting him hard. 

Emma sits at the small desk and calls Will, asking him to bring her a change of clothes to the hotel (for her and for Killian). He says he’ll be over in a bit and Emma gives them their room number. 

When she comes back to bed, Killian’s passed out on it. She smiles lovingly at him and moves closer, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt and neatly wipes it down for wrinkles and hangs it in the closet. Jefferson will not be a happy person if there is one wrinkle in his clothes. Next, she unbuckles his pants and gently slides them off. 

She notices his erect penis through the boxer shorts and licks her lips. Her clit is throbbing too. Emma removes his pants, wipes down the wrinkles and hangs his pants too. 

“Killian,” she whispers to him. 

“Aye, love?” 

She wants to tell him that she needs him to move but instead pushes his body to lay underneath the covers. 

Will arrives with spare clothes for her and for Killian. 

She thanks him and hurries him out the door to return to Henry. Emma locks the door and changes her clothes in the bathroom. She comes out wearing short blue silk pajamas and hangs her dress in the closet next to Killian’s suit. 

Now, the bed situation. 

All the other rooms are packed because of tonight's event and she could try sleeping on the couch but that won’t be comfortable. She goes to the other side of the bed and crawls in, careful to make sure that she is not touching him. 

“Swan?” 

“Yes,” 

“Are you on the other side?” 

“Maybe,” she says and turns to him. “There’s a gap in this king-size bed Jones and you are not crossing that boundary and invading my space. You don’t do that and both of us can sleep peacefully tonight,” 

“Aye,” he agrees and goes back to sleep. 

Emma groans and turns her body to face away from him, taking some of the blankets with her. 

“Bloody hell Swan, are you going to take the blanket too? Give,” he growls. 

Emma grabs the blanket and it becomes a fighting match between them for blanket covers, forcing her to turn her body around and pull it from him, but he pulls harder and suddenly she’s beneath him. “Stop hogging the blanket,” she sneers. 

“Stop fighting,” he bites back. 

She stares at him again, her eyes drifting to his lips and kisses him. 

Killian backs away, staring at her and then kisses her passionately, pulling her closer. His breath smells of rum and Emma smells like cinnamon, but their tongues don’t care one way or another, sucking the life out of each other. 

She rocks her hips against him, brushing against his erection, and he knows what she wants. Killian slips a hand between them, beneath her knickers, and indeed, she is sated with desire. 

“Bloody hell,” he breathes. 

Emma doesn’t stop her kisses, planting her lips on every part of his neck and skin she can find. She’s wanted this for so long and now she has him. Granted, he’s somewhat drunk and might not remember this tomorrow but she doesn’t care. He was a real partner for her tonight, and if given the chance, she wants him by her side forever. His hands drift to her ass, beneath the seam of her short pajamas. 

Emma rubs herself harder against his erection, making it known what she wants. 

“I want you Killian,” she says finally, “Make love to me,” 

He gently strokes her face with his thumb and smiles. “I deserve my name now, do I?” he teases her. 

“It was always yours, you just had to earn it,” 

She slips her hand beneath his boxers and takes his penis into her hand, massaging it. 

“Bloody minx you are,” 

“I am,” she whispers to him. 

Killian kisses her again and removes his boxers as Emma removes her underwear too. She comes into him and he feels the slickness of her arousal coat his bulge. She has wanted him for a while, hasn’t she? And he thought that she hated him. 

Killian manages to roll her body onto the bed and he positions himself on top of her, gyrating his hips into her. Emma’s breathing becomes ragged and she bites her lip, goading him on. His strokes hit all the right nerves and she feels herself becoming wetter and wetter with arousal. 

“Oh God, Killian!” she cries. 

“Say my name again love,” 

“Killian,” she pants, “Oh fuck Killian,” 

He thrusts deeper into her and Emma feels that rush flow through the body, the pleasure rippling from pulse to pulse. “Killian,” she cries again. 

“Love it when you say my name,” he breaths, pushing harder and harder. 

After one more thrust, Emma’s orgasm takes over her body and she cries out his name many times over. Killian collapses beside her and has his hand on his still erect penis. He needs to cum too. He’s ready for it. Emma’s orgasm slowly subsides, and when it does, she notices his hand on his penis and scoots over to his side. 

“Do you need help with that?” she asks, biting her lips. 

He raises an eyebrow suggestively at her. “What do you have in mind, love?” 

Emma's still sore from her last orgasm, but she's still aroused and, honestly, doesn't want the feeling to end. She tells Killian to just lay there and she'll take care of him. His interest has peaked. She tosses back the covers and lowers her mouth on his erection, encircling her lips around him. 

Killian loses it. 

Emma starts out slow, dragging her lips up and down his length and then picks up the pace, feeling every vein and tasting him. She wanted to do this for a long time. Killian starts breathing erratically and he fists through Emma's blond hair. He doesn't want to hurt her but the things her mouth is doing to him...

She fondles his balls, using her hand to knead her growing wetness. Emma bobs her head more forcefully, pushing him closer and closer. 

“Fuck Swan, bloody...Emma...those lips…”

His orgasm hits and he shoots, dripping his cum onto her face. Emma licks off some of it and curls up beside him on the bed. She uses a light blanket to clean off the rest. 

“Did you enjoy that?” she asks him, giggling.

He pounces and pins her body against the bed, kissing her. “I think you know, love,” he growls. 

“Killian,” she says softly, “I have a confession to make: I remember that night I kissed you,”

He smirks at her. “I figured, but I needed to hear you say it,”

She leans up and kisses him. “After fashion week here in New York, I want you to come with me to Paris,” 

“For fashion week there?”

“No, just to be with me,” she continues, “I’ve attended fashion week in Paris many times before but never given myself the chance to enjoy the city itself. I want to explore it with you, or if you like, we can go to Italy,”

Killian runs his hand through her hair. “You really want to do this?”

“I do,” she says, “Are you in?”

He kisses her sweetly. “Paris with you sounds amazing, my love,”

Emma giggles and Killian gets off her so she can snuggle him closely and feel how soft that chest hair actually is.

~~

Emma has the best sleep ever that evening. Around 4 a.m., she wakes and lays there, looking at Killian sleeping beside her. He is so perfect with her and last night, well, she has no regrets about it. 

She let go of her insecurities and allowed her to feel what had been building since he started working for her. Emma's still worried about some things, but they're not the end of the world issues she can't handle. 

She traces her finger to his jawline and that same hand trails down to his chest hair and to her favorite spot. Killian feels the pressure around his bulge already, opens an eye and looks at her. 

“Really, love? It's not even light out,”

She giggles and he really loves that sound coming from her, especially since it's so rare. 

“I know,” she whispers, “But a quickie and then I’ll go back to bed,”

Killian pulls her down and kisses her. “You are an insatiable woman, Ms. Swan,” he breathes.

“That's your fault and what you do to me,”

“Oh, love?” he teases, fondling her beneath the blanket, “Are you saying that you wanted to fuck me from the moment I walked into your office for that interview?”

Her breath hitches her throat, and he rubs him harder in return. “Maybe,” she admits. 

Killian kisses her again, opening his mouth a little and sending his tongue down her throat. 

Emma tugs him closer and he fondles her breasts. “God, now, I _really_ want you,” she purrs into his mouth. 

“As you wish m’lady,” he says, and he gently takes off her fingers from his bulge and comes into her. Emma arches her back and angles herself closer, thrusting her hips in time with him until they’re both fighting each other to reach that blissful point. Skin slapping against her skin and Killian desperately wants to see her crumble first before him, so he slips a finger into her heat as he fucks her. She is bloody hot and soaking wet. 

“Killian…” she starts crying. 

He rides her faster, fingering her harder and deeper, pushing her closer to the edge. His cock his throbbing with need, but her pleasure comes first. 

“Killian, oh fuck Killian!” 

He thrusts deeper into her, sticking his thumb additionally into her heat. “Cum for me, darling,” he whispers, bracing her neck with his hand. 

Emma closes her eyes and touches herself, feeling his fingers on her and cum slides around her walls. Then she starts to feel that tingling sensation crawling beneath her skin and she rides out her pleasures until she’s shaking. Killian grabs hold of her waist and gently pulls her down next to him, cradling her body next to him. He kisses her brow and her cheeks, pressing a wet kiss to her nipple. 

“I’m not sure if I can sleep now,” he teases her, “Of course, that was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” 

Emma giggles again and kisses him. “Is that a problem?” she says, batting her eyelashes at him. 

“No,” he says and kisses her again. 

Emma cuddles closer to him and closes her eyes, lightly napping. Her body feels immensely relaxed. However, as she sleeps, she can hear Killian petting himself beneath the covers, and she encircles her hand around him, both of them bracing for his cock. She applies light pressure to it and groans into her. 

“Bloody hell lass,” he sighs, “You’re going to be the death of me woman.” 

She arches an eyebrow and smiles. She’ll never tire of this and doesn’t want to. Emma can only imagine what course their lives will take in a few weeks once they get to Paris. They won’t have to deal with the pressure of New York Fashion Week in the city of love. There’s so much that she’s excited to explore with him. 

This is a whole new feeling for Emma, wanting to be this open and unafraid of being hurt again. It’s scary, but she’s not running from it. Somehow being with him gives her the courage to face her long dead emotions and let the real her come out to play. 

Emma has denied herself this kind of emotional connection for so long and not just since ending her relationship with Walsh but Henry’s father. Walsh had been a first step towards her emotional recovery from that relationship but her walls came right back up once she discovered that he had been sleeping with Regina. 

Killian is the first to start breaking down those walls and helping her see that emotional attachment doesn’t have to ruin her. 

Emma looks back at Killian and his eyes are closed, his jaw clenching at every pressure point as her fingers pinch and fuck him. She wants to take him between her lips again but she likes seeing what she does to him. It’s the same feeling she gets when he’s pleasuring her. 

Still, a little lick on the tip won’t hurt. Emma’s craving it. 

Emma slides halfway down the bed, pulls back the covers and lightly sucks on his cock, her hand still encircled around him, shifting up and down his shaft. Killian gently raises his head up and sees her fucking him with her mouth again. He falls back onto the bed and fists his hands through her long blonde tresses.

“You like my cock, don’t you lass?” he teases. 

She licks him up, enjoying how full he is in her mouth. Killian’s jaw clenches his harder and shuts his eyes, tuning his hearing to her licks and pops. It is bloody arousing. He feels his orgasm building and pulls her up over his body as he shoots and lays her over him. 

“Don’t want to mess up that pretty face of yours again,” he says and kisses her, tasting his essence on her lips. It is intoxicating, more so than the rum from earlier. 

It’s around 4:45 a.m. and the sun will be coming up soon and they need to sleep. They’re still expected to show up for work tomorrow, although seeing how they spent the evening and early morning, it’ll probably be a half day for both of them. 

“Good night love,” he whispers, kisses her goodnight and goes back to bed. 

“Good night Killian,” she says, kisses his forehead and falls asleep in his arms. 

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Friday everyone!


	10. Ground Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just wanted to check in and see if you’re alright, or if you needed anything...like an aspirin or warm compress?” he asks, smirking. 

Title: the debut

Chapter 10 Title: Ground Rules

Killian wakes around 11:30 a.m., still feeling a bit groggy. He couldn’t stop thinking about last night and this morning’s early sexcapades. The buzz from the rum and coffee wore off hours ago the first time he drifted off to sleep, and he’s thankful that he remembers what happened. It would lead to incredible awkwardness in the office if he didn’t. 

He turns over and finds Emma gone and then he looks around the room and hears the soft purring of the shower running in the bathroom. His Swan in the shower, naked and running water falling over that glorious body of hers. Killian peeks under the sheets and yup, he is up this morning. He gets out of bed and sneaks into the bathroom. 

The shower bathroom door is semi-transparent glass with metal hinges, opening and closing on a slider, and yes, the shower is big enough for two people. There’s also a big jacuzzi which he wouldn’t mind using later. Emma’s happily bathing herself in the warm spray of the shower that she doesn’t notice that he’s standing outside. Killian slides the door back and steps inside, standing close to her. 

She opens her eyes and is surprised to see him and then relaxes, kissing him good morning. 

“We missed breakfast,” she says. 

Killian gently rubs her elbow and tugs her closer. “No, we didn’t,” he teases and pinches her bottom. Emma moans into his mouth and starts to turn the shower head off, but he stops her. “Leave it on, love,” 

The last time she was in the shower, she had a vivid fantasy of this moment. The only difference being, it was her shower, in her house, but this is much better because they don’t have to worry about Henry or Will walking in on them. Henry’s still young and very impressionable. Will, she knows, can be discreet. 

Emma pulls him in really close, feeling his penis on her inner thigh and mewls into his mouth. “I had a fantasy about this,” she blurts out between kisses. 

“You did?” he asks curiously, kissing her earlobe, “Please do tell me about this fantasy, love.” 

Emma’s body feels like warm liquid in his arms, it’s difficult to concentrate on her fantasy and what she wants to tell him about the experience. 

Killian moves his lips from her earlobe, dragging them to her shoulders and then sucking on her nipples. “Please go on Swan,” he teases her. 

Emma gulps. “I was, uh,” she stumbles, “really wound up when this happened,” 

“How wound up, love?” he teases, rubbing his cock against her slippery vagina. 

“ _ Really  _ wound up,” she breathes, “It was right after you asked me about the kiss, the second time,” 

He quirks an eyebrow and pins her closer, easing in his cock into her. “And then what happened?” he asks. 

“I was...frustrated...annoyed…” she manages, her clit aching from his subtle thrust. “I turned on the shower to calm down,” 

“You’re not frustrated and annoyed anymore?” he asks her huskily, raising her left thigh and resting it on his leg, so he has a better angle. Emma wraps her arms around his neck to help steady herself. 

“No,” she muses and closes her eyes, feeling each hit of skin against skin, plus the pulsating water from the shower, “Do you want me to continue?” 

Killian raises his head and kisses her, pushing her body against the tiles. He corners his swan in the shower, pushing his heat deeper into her. Emma doesn’t protest and pulls him closer, hands roaming around his neck. 

They’re both wet from the shower, but Emma also knows that cum is also running down her thighs as well, mixing with the water. He thrusts harder into her and Emma cradles her arm around his neck for support, breathing in each other’s scent. The whole shower smells of sex. 

Emma shuts her eyes, bracing him tighter as she finally cums and he spills into her. Killian raises his head, kisses her neck and Emma can't help herself kissing his wet chest hair. She still feels a bit shaky so Killian continues holding and steadying her waist. Once he feels that she can stand on her own, they resume washing up. 

Killian finishes washing and steps out of the shower, leaving her to finish up and lets her know that he’ll call the front desk, asking about food. She gives him the okay as he ties a towel around his waist and rings the front desk. 

As he waits for the dial to connect, he notes the two robes laid out on the desk chair at the foot of the bed. Finally, someone picks up. 

“Yes, I’d like to order some food for a late breakfast,” he says. 

“Of course, sir,” the woman replies, “We can send up food for you and your guests. It’ll be ten minutes,” 

Killians thanks her and hangs up, then walks over and puts on the robe. Emma steps out of the shower a second later, dries and comes out, a towel wrapped around her breast and he hands her the second robe. “Breakfast will be up in ten minutes,” he reports. 

“Good, I’m famished,” she says. 

He raises a suggestive eyebrow at her and she blushes. 

“You know what I mean, I’m hungry for real food. That was quite the workout you gave me this morning,” she says. 

Killian comes over and kisses her again. “If there’s time, I’d also like to try out the jacuzzi,” 

“I’d love that too, but we’re still expected to return to the office and do work. I still have a fashion show to schedule,” she reminds him, “Speaking of the office, there are some new ground rules that we have to go over before we return,” 

Killian sighs, expecting that this was coming and sits down at the foot of the bed. 

“As much as I enjoy our new  _ relationship _ , we still have to follow office protocol; which means, no  **_PDA_ ** ,” 

“PDA?” 

“Public displays of affection,” she continues, “I’m still your boss Killian and we need to respect each other’s personal workspace while at the office.” 

“Aye,” he agrees. He supposes that they have to follow some decorum and propriety. 

Emma is still a professional and the last thing she needs is a raunchy sex scandal leading up to one of the biggest fashion shows of the year. That’s what soap operas are for. 

Emma comes over and kisses him. “However, once the fashion show debut is done, you can have me however you want once we get to Paris. I won’t hold back from you anymore,” she promises. 

“I like that love,” he whispers, kissing her, “and will definitely be holding you to that promise,” 

They’re interrupted by a knock at the front door and Emma hurries into the bathroom because she’s still naked under the robe and doesn’t want some random bellboy to see her like this. Killian answers, picks up the tray, tips the lad and shoes him away. Emma comes out once it’s clear and joins him in bed for breakfast. 

After breakfast, they start packing, cleaning up and getting dressed. 

Checkout is 1 p.m. and they have plenty of time. She could call Jefferson or Tink and let one of them know that they may skip going into the office, you know, because of late night after parties. Her first assistant and fashion designer would totally buy that explanation. Emma thinks about doing that as they’re dressing. They leave the suite around 12:30 and make it back down to the lobby and check-in/out counter. She only needs to sign since she paid last night and she asks to ring a driver. 

As they’re waiting, Emma debates going into the office for a half day or heading home. Her body is exhausted and needs time to recuperate from her lost sleep, from last night’s and early morning sex. 

Killian seems to be recovering just fine. A car pulls up and Emma signals the driver over and picks up their bags and loads them into the trunk. 

Before Killian heads over the car, Emma pulls at his sleeve and he looks at her. “I think I might sleep the rest of the day, work from home. You can go into the office if you want, or head home. Your choice,” she says. 

“I can’t join you?” 

Emma tilts her head. She’d like that, but if he joins her, she likely won’t get any work done and she needs to finalize details before the show. “Sorry, no,” she says. 

Killian sighs. “I’ll go home and rest up,” 

Emma steals a kiss from him and lets him go to the car, then she removes her iPhone from her purse and texts Tink that she’s working from home today. Tink texts back that’s okay and will check to make sure the server is good. 

~~

Emma directs the driver to drop off Killian first, they kiss goodbye and she gives the driver directions to her house. He helps unload her things and returns to the hotel. Emma throws off her heels and brings her stuff to her living room, hangs up the dress in her closet, sets her extra clothes under her dresser and falls onto the bed. 

Will stops by a moment later, knocking on the door and she turns to look at him. 

“Just wanted to check in and see if you’re alright, or if you needed anything...like an aspirin or warm compress?” he asks, smirking. 

“Will Scarlett, you breathe one word of this to Henry or anyone else…” 

He holds up his hand and his smirk goes away. “Won’t say something about you banging your model,” he promises, “But seriously, do you need a warm compress?” 

Emma relaxes. “Camomile tea, please,” she says. 

“Coming right up,” 

Will comes back with a mug of camomile tea then leaves her alone to sleep. It only takes a few sips of tea before she starts feeling its affect and she drifts off. 

~~

Her iPhone buzzes around 6 p.m., waking her for her nap and it's Killian. She picks up. “Hello there stranger,” she purrs, yawning. 

“Someone had a long nap. Did you get any work done at all?” 

Emma checks her desk clock. “Nope. I asked Will to make chamomile tea for me, knocked me out right away, but I feel better now,” she says, “Did you get any sleep?” 

“I showered again and then took a nap. The flat’s quiet because Liam’s at the bar. I’m heading there later for dinner. Would you join me?” 

She bites her lips. “Are you sure that’s wise?” she counters. 

“Why not?” 

“You know why not?” she continues, “It’s your brother, Killian. He knows you,” 

Killian’s silent at his end. “I still would like it if you join me for dinner,” he hopes, “we can go somewhere else if you like,” 

An outing is too public, even for her and she doesn’t want the press to know that she’s with someone else. It’s too early to deal with the repercussions of a new relationship, and theirs is very new. “Tell you know what, I’ll order Italian and we can eat here,” she offers. 

“With Henry?” 

Emma tells him to wait a moment and she calls Will into her room. “Can you take Henry out to dinner this evening?” she asks. 

He shrugs. “Sure. Is there anything you don’t want him eating?” 

“As long as it’s not greasy fast food, I don’t really care and you can take your time, enjoying dinner; no need to rush back,” she tells him. 

Will nods to her iPhone. “Not a problem. You enjoy your date with your boyfriend, Miss Swan,” he teases and leaves her. 

Emma returns to her iPhone and Killian’s laughing on the other end. Will’s a little shite. “I don’t know how much of that you heard…” she starts. 

“I’ll come over there around 7:30,” he promises, “and I look forward to our date, Emma.” 

After her call with Killian, Emma quickly searches on her iPhone for places that deliver Italian food nearby. She could order from one of the fancier restaurants, but Killian doesn’t really care about that. Thankfully she finds one close by and with the menu items she had in mind. After placing that order, she starts looking through her closet for something appropriate to wear. The problem is, she has very little. Most of the dresses she has are for office presentations and doesn’t really have a suitable dress for a casual dinner night. 

**“WILL!”** she screams and he runs into her room, Henry close behind him. 

“Something the matter, lass?” he asks. 

She turns to her son and Will, both of them expecting a major emergency and in a way, this is a big emergency because she has no idea what to wear for her first date -- an actual first date with Killian. Henry especially has no idea what’s going on. 

“I have nothing to wear for a casual get together,” she says. 

Both boys relax. 

“Good lord lass,” he continues and walks inside her large closet, sorting through the dresses, “This is for your guy friend…” 

Henry breaks into a smile. “You have a guy friend, or a boyfriend?” he asks. 

Emma blushes. “He’s not -- we’re still in the preliminary stages of defining what is our relationship,” she starts, “but he is someone dear to me who happens to be a guy,” 

Henry joins Will in the closet and picks out a sleeveless pink, V-neck dress. “Wear this one mom,” he recommends. 

“I don’t remember buying this one,” she notes, looking at her son. 

“It’s because you didn’t buy it. I got it for you for your birthday a year ago but you never found the right occasion to wear it,” 

Emma hugs her son and kisses his cheek. She thanks the boys for their help and Will tells her to have a good time and then he and Henry are on their way out for dinner. 

tbc


	11. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killian sighs. “Honestly Swan, I don’t know, but that’s the whole point of a relationship, figuring out the easy and hard stuff along the way,” he reasons.

The food arrives a quarter after seven, giving Emma a chance to set up the dining room table and create a romantic and lovely atmosphere. 

She hasn’t done this dating thing in a long while, not since Walsh, but she wants to make tonight really special for her and Killian so she gets out the formal china, fancy cutlery and picks out two selections of wine. Once everything is prepared the way she likes it, she runs back upstairs to her room, finds the dress Henry picked out for her and starts getting ready. 

By the time she is almost done, there’s a ring at her front door and she runs to answer it. Killian’s standing there wearing mostly black; black jeans, leather jacket and black V-neck shirt. But it confirms to her that he put in a lot of effort to look nice for her as she had in preparing for this special evening. She stands there staring at him as he looks her over too and doesn’t even realize that he’s carrying a single rose in his other hand, for her. 

“Swan, you look stunning…” he sighs. 

“You look, I really didn’t know that you had leather in your wardrobe,” she says. 

Killian looks down at his clothes and smirks. “Actually, Liam let me borrow this,” he admits. 

Emma kisses him and welcomes him inside. “Tell your brother thanks from me,” she says, accepting the rose and showing him to the dining room table. Both dishes that she ordered are placed in white porcelain and there are red candles in the center of the table, along with a selection of red wines. 

“Bon appetit,” she says, and they sit opposite each other. 

“For our appetizers, we have fried calamari with marinara sauce and our main dishes consist of chicken cacciatore and fettuccine alfredo. I also picked out two bottles of red wine, so pop open whichever one you like. I also have white wine too if you prefer,” 

Killian smiles at her appreciatively, “I know you ordered this stuff but you didn’t have to ---” 

“This is our first date,” she cuts him off, “I wanted to make something special for you.” 

He reaches his hand across the table and puts it in her. “Are we dating now?” he questions. 

“I know, we’re still in the early stages of our relationship. We only slept with each other last night and now we’re eating dinner together at my place and the mood’s perfect, you look perfect, my hair looks great and Henry helped me pick out this dress…” she rambles. 

Killian comes over and shuts her up with a kiss. “What matters to me, Swan is that I’m with you in this moment,” he reminds her, “That’s the important thing, not what we’re eating or the mood but being with you love because this is where I want to be,” 

Emma is a loss for words. No one has ever spoken to her way Killian has, and it really scares her to see such devotion in him. She kisses him hard. “Do you want to go upstairs and finish the food later?” she wonders. 

He looks back at the table and the food looks delicious, he is also really hungry. “We can eat a bit,” he reasons, “and then maybe we can work off the calories upstairs,” 

She grins. “Where did you read that?” 

He shrugs. “I don’t know, just a rumor I heard that the more sex you have after a big meal, the more calories you burn. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but Jefferson will know tomorrow morning if I have to do another fitting,” he notes. 

~~

Dinner is a homerun with chicken cacciatore and fettuccine alfredo and they both decide on the first bottle of red wine to accompany their food. Emma starts to feel less nervous and subconscious about everything and decides to start going with the flow. She doesn’t really need to impress Killian, he’s just happy sharing a pleasant and romantic meal with her. 

She knows that he missed Henry and getting to know the lad better. Maybe the next time he comes over, they can share a meal together and once that thought pops into Emma’s head, she nearly chokes on her wine and has to momentarily excuse herself. 

Killian leaves her for a moment and then goes after her, following her into the kitchen where she’s breathing deeply and calming down from a panic attack. 

“Emma? Darling, what is it?” he asks. 

She doesn’t want to say initially and then Killian reminds her that she needs to be honest not only with him, but herself too. She turns around and looks at him. “The last time I let someone get close to me...Walsh...things were good between us. Henry liked him, we even had a nice dinner like this. Our first date together, Henry ate with us because I wanted him to assess if he was good enough for me,” she starts, “and then months later at my happiest, I discovered that he had been sleeping with Regina. It was the worst moment of my life finding that out. Not only that but the disappointment when I told Henry that I couldn’t see Walsh anymore because he hurt me badly. He grew up without his father (that’s a whole other story for a different time); but the point is, he was so close to having an important male -- well -- a father figure and he was gone,” 

“You don’t want him to be hurt or disappointed again,” 

“Yeah. I think it would hurt him more if something…” she starts crying, “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional about this,” 

Killian kisses her tears and then kisses her. “Emma, it’s all right. You don’t have to be afraid to introduce me to your boy. I sort of met him before when he came to the office, but not really. I would love to formally meet him and get to know him,” he tells her. 

“And staying for him?” 

“For him and for you, for as long as you want me here Swan,” he promises. 

Emma wipes away her tears and guides her back over to the dining room table. She takes a long sip of her wine and looks at him. They’ve finished most of their dinner and they could move things upstairs to her bedroom, but Emma has a better idea. 

She tells him to meet her in the living room and she'll be right back. Killian takes his glass of wine, along with the bottle itself, and transfers to the living room couch. Emma comes back a little later, hiding something behind her back and he tries to sneak a peek, but she won’t let him, not without a proper introduction. 

“I have something that I want to show you, it’s something that I’ve kept over the years and only a few people have seen it, but I want to share it with you because I feel like you’ll appreciate it,” she says and sits beside him on the couch, taking out a baby boy album. “This belongs to Henry, it’s his baby book,” 

He smiles at her as she opens up the first page. There’s no picture of the birth, but the front cover has the boy’s birth certificate with the father’s line as a blank and only a question mark in its place. 

That’s a story for another time. 

Emma turns the page and there are pictures of baby Henry swaddled in a blue blanket in the nursery ward. There are few pictures of Emma herself and it troubles him that there aren’t any pictures of Henry and Emma together. 

“When Henry was born, or more appropriately, where Henry was born, it happened when I was in juvenile detention. I stayed for a week at a clinic nearby, and when I was well enough, I was allowed to bring Henry back to juve and start raising him there while I served my term. A couple of months after I was released, I needed to figure something out to help both of us financially. I applied to government housing and we rented an apartment. Meanwhile, I went back to school and that’s when I started studying fashion,” she says. 

Killian takes her hand and squeezes it. She looks at him and he isn’t appalled or disgusted with her, so that’s a plus. Emma flips over a few more pages and comes to Henry’s first birthday. “This was in that first apartment, government housing. I bought a cheap chocolate cake from a bakery nearby and some candles from the dollar store. I started studying for the winter final exams,” she continues, “He never knew about our humble beginnings. Henry barely remembers his first birthday, but he was the happiest little boy, stuffing his face with chocolate cake,” 

“I shared so many beautiful memories raising him,” 

“From what I’ve seen, the lad’s seem to have turned out alright. You did good Swan,” he compliments. 

“I was always worried that Henry that I wasn’t able to give him enough and now that we have this life, I can give him anything he wants…” she stops herself and closes the book. “I know that this is new between us, but I need to know that you’re serious and not another disappointment because I honestly cannot handle that at the moment,” 

“I swore that I would go with you to Paris,” he reminds her. 

“I know and I’m excited about that, but what about after we come back? What will we be then?” she wonders. 

Killian sighs. “Honestly Swan, I don’t know, but that’s the whole point of a relationship, figuring out the easy and hard stuff along the way,” he reasons, “The last serious relationship you were in, Walsh wounded you. The last relationship I was in, well, my lass, she was brutally murdered by her ex-husband,” 

“Oh, Killian, I’m sorry.” 

“I was a student in her writing class while I attended NYU. Milah. Her ex-husband killed her out of spite. I was involved in a trial that put him away for about 10 months and then was released. I walked around paranoid for months that he would come after me, but he never did, and last I heard, he returned to Scotland,” he says, “The point is, you’re not the only one with baggage and look, we all have our insecurities, but I am willing to do what it takes to make this relationship work for both us and that includes Henry too,” 

Emma leans over and kisses him, pinning him against the couch. She could drag him upstairs to her bedroom, but Emma likes just making out with him on her living room couch. 

~~

After their make-out session on the couch, Emma gets up and cleans up their dinner, storing the food in the refrigerator and then comes back to the living room. Their food is put away, she turns on the TV and Netflix. 

Killian looks at her curiously. “You don’t want to head upstairs?” he asks. 

“We could but I kinda feel like watching a movie. Is that okay?” 

“What kind of movie did you have in mind?”

Emma looks through the Netflix catalog and stops on a film that makes them both laugh. Coincidental or whatever, it could not be more appropriate. Emma selects it and the film loads. 

Their choice:  _ The Devil Wears Prada _ . 

Killian sees parallels between himself and Anna Hathaway’s character, Stanley Tucci is Jefferson and Emily Blunt is Tink (minus the attitude) and Meryl Streep’s character...

“I’m not really like her am I?” Emma interjects, referring to Meryl’s character. 

He doesn’t really want to say. 

Emma sits up, putting her hands on her hips. “Killian?” 

“The interview was eerily similar to Andie’s, you did have an icy attitude when we first met,” he reasons, “but I know that’s not the real you and you’re...softer...a woman with a fierce heart, you’re a warrior,” 

She unpauses for the movie and settles down next to him on the couch. They continue watching the film but eventually drowsiness kicks in and they fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

Some time later, Will and Henry come back from their dinner and find them lying on the couch asleep. Will tells Henry to go upstairs and get ready for bed and Will goes over to turn off the TV and the lack of sound wakes up Emma. 

“Evening Emma,” he says, “Henry and I have leftovers from dinner, but I imagine that you probably do too,” 

“Our leftover food is in the refrigerator too. Thanks again for taking Henry to dinner, Will,” she says. 

“Not a problem Emma,” Will adds, “I can go home to my flat or stay here. Up to you,” 

“I can tuck Henry in. You go home, Will,” 

“Aye. Thanks,” 

Will heads out. 

Emma taps Killian’s shoulder and he wakes. “Will brought Henry home. He’s upstairs getting ready for bed. I’m going to tuck him in and maybe call it a night?” 

“Aye,” he agrees and kisses her. “Say goodnight to your boy. I’ll be waiting downstairs,” 

Emma runs upstairs to Henry's room and finds her son already asleep in his bed and begins to quietly leave, but he turns over and looks at her with this big grin on his face.

“So, is he your new boyfriend now?” he teases.

“You know, I think Will is starting to have a bad influence on you Henry,” she teases, sitting on the edge of his bed, “Killian and mine’s -- our relationship is still very new,”

“But you like him,”

Emma knows that she more than likes him but she's not ready to admit what those feelings are. “I care deeply for him. What that turns into later, I don't know, but neither does he,”

“I’m happy for you mom. You deserve this,”

“Really?”

“I know you worry that you don't give me enough, but if there's one thing I wish for you, it's that you're happy. That's all that matters to me,”

Emma looks at him oddly. “I’ve been happy…”

“No, you haven't; not for a long time,” he assures her, “This guy must be really special because he's changing you; he’s making you better.”

Emma hadn't even thought of it like that. Change is scary for her but things have been changing for a while; she just hadn't noticed it.

“There's something else I have to talk to you about, but it can wait for the weekend,” she says, “For now, goodnight kiddo,”

“You sent Will home?”

“Yeah, and I’m taking you to school tomorrow,” she smiles before turning off the light. 

Emma comes back downstairs and finds Killian standing by the front door, waiting for her as promised. She runs into his arms and gives him a long kiss goodnight. “Thank you for waiting,” she tells him. 

“Always Swan,” he whispers back, “I had a good time tonight,”

“I did too,”

She kisses him again. “I’m working from home tomorrow,” she notes, “Can you stop by and help me?”

“To  _ really  _ work or--?”

“Maybe both,” she reasons, “But I really have work to catch up on and I could use my second assistant’s help. I’m going to drop off Henry at his school and then come back. I should be back around 11ish. Can you be here?”

He kisses her. “I’ll be here around 11:30,” he promises. 

“Okay. Goodnight Killian,”

“Goodnight Emma,”

They kiss one more time and then he leaves. Emma leans back against the door, unable to believe how perfect this evening has been. She's still not ready to admit what this feeling is, but one day she'll be able to.

Tbc

  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Good things come from collaboration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Killian, you can do this,” she says again and kisses him, “I believe that you can. Dress in my bathroom and I’ll get ready out here,” 

Emma wakes around 7am, dresses and goes straight to the kitchen to make breakfast for Henry. When she's done cooking around 7:35, she wakes Henry (he’s already awake) and waits for him in the dining room. She cooked eggs, French toast and sausage patties. He comes downstairs already dressed and stares in awe at the food spread.

“Oh yeah, this new guy you're dating is a keeper mom!” he exclaims before sitting down and eating a bit of everything. 

Emma smiles at him, hoping that he is right about Killian in general. They happily eat breakfast together and then Henry hurries into the bathroom and brushes his teeth while Emma cleans up and puts the leftovers away. When he comes back, he has his book bag and she's ready to go, too.

She walks with him to his subway and they ride it together to his school’s stop and then walk until they reach Henry's school. Will does this every day with him, but she knows the route by heart herself. She hugs and kisses his forehead before parting ways with him.

On her way back to the subway, she texts Killian that she just dropped off Henry and is on her way back to the house. He texts a kissy emoji and a message that he still plans to be at her place at 11:30. Emma checks her time now. 9 a.m. 

She catches the subway back to her place and when she arrives back at her apartment, it’s only 10. She hops in for a quick shower, changes and after all that’s done, she still has time to kill. 

Emma turns on her iMac in the study downstairs, checks her work email (no pressing morning meetings), but she does need to email Tink and let her know that she’s working from home again; also that she needs her to send over a few things from the office that she needs for the day. 

In the conclusion of her email to Tink, she also asks that she send some clothing samples (men’s underwear, sleepwear, stuff that Killian had been trying on recently) with no explanation, just that she needs them sent over right away. Emma hesitates before pressing send, and then she does and bites her lip, squealing in her chair. She has specific plans for Killian later. 

Emma continues browsing through her email a little longer and then opens up a new window for searching. She starts looking at places she wants to see for their Paris trip. There’s the obvious top picks, the Eiffel Tower, she’s never seen the Louvre, the Gothic cathedrals look interesting and, of course, art museums. 

She spots a link for a fashion museum in Paris, and her interest is piqued, bookmarking that for later research. Next she types in Paris entertainment/nightlife, not really sure what she prefers to explore, but it is called the City of Lights and there’s bound to be something that will both interest her and Killian. 

She finds recommendations for nightly burlesque shows in Paris and definitely bookmarks. 

Killian arrives on time and she goes to the front door to greet him, pulling him into a passionate morning embrace and longing kiss. 

“Good morning to you too love,” he says through the kiss. 

“Hi,” she says weakly, “Are you hungry? We still have lots of leftovers from last night and I cooked breakfast this morning,” 

Killian follows her into the living room and she goes back to her office and brings out two Mac laptops. “I emailed Tink this morning to send over some things from the office, stuff I need to follow-up on and oh -- a little surprise I have for you,” she teases. 

“What surprise?” 

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” she counters. 

“Point taken,” he agrees, “Is there anything you would like to get started on first?” 

Emma smiles at him, sets down the laptops and practically pounces on him as he falls backwards onto the couch. She kisses him frantically, his whole face, collar and chest hair. Killian would like to say he was referring to work, but this feels so much better. Emma finds his belt buckle, loosens it up, unzips his pants and fondles him. 

“Oh bloody hell Emma,” 

“I missed you,” she says between kisses. 

“I can tell,” he groans into her. 

Killian loosens her blouse from her jeans and reaches up her shirt to her breasts, squeezing them. She rubs his thumb over her nipples and she is erect. He is bloody ready to orgasm in her hand, the way she’s touching him. She rubs him harder and faster until he couldn't take it anymore and shatters in her hands. Emma lets go, brings up her hand and licks the cum off it, grinning at him like the seductress cat she is. 

“Was that the surprise ?” he asks. 

“Nope, that comes later,” she says and gets off him, fixing her blouse, “Now we can get to work,” 

Emma turns on both laptops, sets up power cords and then goes to the kitchen to clean up. While she’s still busy, there’s a ring at her front door and he answers it. 

Tink’s there with boxes and files. “Morning Killian, this is the stuff Ms. Swan requested this morning and oh, the boxes are not being touched by you. Give these files to her and I’m available on my phone if you need anything else. I can send a courier over from the office,” she says. 

He thanks her, she smiles at him and takes off. 

Killian puts the boxes he is not to touch on the floor next to the living room couch. He knows he shouldn’t -- it’s likely the surprise Emma has for him -- but he wants to open them up and look at them. Before he can do so, Emma comes back and orders him to step away from the boxes. 

“Not even a peek?” he whines. 

She shakes her head at him. “How old are you again?” she teases, “I know how old you are, but you know what I mean. You’re not opening up these boxes until I’m ready to give them to you. The files I asked Tink to send, please?” 

Kilian hands her the files, Emma takes them and sets them aside. Then she takes the boxes and goes upstairs, putting them away for storage. When she comes back, she makes him a deal that they’ll work in shifts. Half an hour here in the morning, break for lunch, then resume work and then later, she’ll show him that surprise. 

“But you also have a good boy,” she teases, “That means staying on task, Mr. Jones. The hours that we work, you are my assistant and model. The other hours, well, you know,” 

“Understood,” 

They get started on finalizing details for their first fashion week events and Emma briefs him on his show schedule, but also gives him interview tips about the press. He has a charming smile, a fabulous body and he’s new to the fashion modeling scene. The press will be all over him and it makes Emma very protective of him that they might hurt him. 

He gently rubs her back and kisses her cheek. “Don’t worry about love, _I’m a big boy_ ,” he says and winks at her. 

Emma blushes scarlet red and she knows it’s a double entendre, he’s trying to throw her off her planned work schedule and fuck. She wants to fuck too, but she needs to be a professional at this moment. 

“Your double entendre is noted, Mr. Jones, but we have to focus. There’s a lot of new stuff you need to learn before your official debut,” she reminds him. 

Killian clears his throat, stops getting touchy and focuses. Emma continues briefing him and then she sends off emails to her buyers, confirming that they will be attending their show in a few weeks. At the same time, she’s doing that, she has Killian call the caterers to ask if they will be ready on time. Most of the morning are all about confirmations from people and tallying up their guest lists. 

Around 12, they break for lunch and Emma takes out their leftovers from last night’s dinner. No wine with lunch, though, so she brings out flavored sparkling water instead. 

After lunch, she checks in with Jefferson and tells her that he’s finalizing the designs. Tink has been fielding pre-press interview calls in the office, the line’s been busy since 11 this morning. She texts Tink that when she returns to the office tomorrow, give her the numbers of people from the press who want to specifically talk to her about the collection. 

She thanks Tink for taking care of everything at the office, then hangs up. Emma starts typing up a few notes and peeks over at Killian, still sending out emails. It’s getting to be around 3 and she feels like she needs to do something to lighten the mood. Then she remembers her surprise upstairs and suddenly, having a naughty, fun idea. 

“You know, you did good the other night with screening questions at the fundraising event,” she starts. 

“I don’t think I did very good,” he notes. 

“Don’t tell me Killian Jones is shy because you’re not shy when it comes to sex,” 

Killian stops what he’s doing and looks at her. “Sex, sex with you is private and I know that I don’t have to be shy around you,” he reasons, “But, for your information, I guess you can say that I’m an introvert,” 

“Introvert, huh? Could have fooled me,” she teases, “Well, I think I know of a way to help get over your _introversion_ , if you’ll allow me?” 

He quirks an eyebrow. “Oh?” 

Emma stands, holds out her hand and he takes it as she leads him upstairs. 

He follows her blindly and leads him to her bedroom. His cock is throbbing wondering what the bloody hell it is she has in mind to help him. Emma lets go of his hand and piles the boxes onto her bed and turns to him. “Okay, go ahead. You can open them now,” she says. 

Killian rips the first box open, like he’s a kid anxious to see his Christmas presents, and then he is taken aback a little when he holds up a tiny black thong and other underwear. 

“Surprise!” Emma cries. 

He doesn’t quite know what to say. “This is supposed to help me get over my introversion,” he notes. 

“The way I think of it, you know the advice when you have to talk in front of a big crowd, just to imagine them naked and then you won’t feel so self-conscious about yourself?” 

“Aye,”

“Same method,” 

“Except, shouldn’t you be wearing the thong and not me?” he counters. 

“I’m not an introvert but I can -- or may not wear a few things while I ask you some lightning-round questions, if that will make you feel better,” she continues, “The point of all this is for you to become comfortable with the press,” 

Killian lightly touches the thong and watches it bounce, stretching the fabric. 

“Oh come on, I promise that it will help you,” she assures him. 

“I know that we’re fucking each other, but I think that this borderline sexual harassment love,” 

“Killian, you can do this,” she says again and kisses him, “I believe that you can. Dress in my bathroom and I’ll get ready out here,” 

He sighs, takes the rest of the thongs and whatever else is buried in the first box and dresses in her bathroom. Emma moves around some furniture to make space for a fake press queue and she makes a brief run downstairs to Henry’s XBox center and grabs a wireless microphone. When she comes back, Killian comes out of the bathroom wearing the first thong, a semi-gray blue that hugs him in all the right places and snuggly holds him in. 

Emma stares at where his cock is taken aback and her lips thirsting to take him into her mouth and taste him. But then she remembers that this exercise is not about her, it’s about him. She steps away from the room for a brief moment to remove her panties and then walks back inside, microphone in hand. 

“I feel ridiculous,” he whines. 

“Trust me Killian, you do not look ridiculous,” she assures him, “Okay, come here and we’ll get started,” 

He walks over to her and she holds out the fake microphone, smiling softly. “Welcome Killian Jones, _The Jeweled Swan_ ’s newest men’s fashion model. Tell me, Mr. Jones, have you ever modeled before?” she asks. 

“No, I haven’t. I originally interviewed to be Ms. Swan’s second personal assistant; which I also do,” he says. 

“Okay, that’s some juggling act you do. Is she a demanding boss?” 

Killian grins. “At first yes, but I think that’s because she knows that I’m not used to this type of work,” he reasons. 

“Ah ha, and what did you do before this type of work?” 

“Writing. I studied journalism in college,” 

“So you’re a journalist. That’s interesting. Can you give us the inside scoop on your relationship with Ms. Swan, or know any juicy tidbits about her personal life?” 

Killian hesitates. “Ms. Swan is...she’s a complex woman,” he says. 

Emma stops the interview and kisses him passionately. 

“Bloody hell,” he moans, “Not that I’m complaining, but why did you stop?” 

“The press loves gossip, so any juicy details you can give them, they will eat up and then dig as deep as they can until they have a story. What you just did, shying away from the question and saying I’m a complex woman without giving anything away, was good, _very good,_ and I wanted you to know that,” she says. 

He smiles at her. 

“Okay, well, Ms. Swan has a reputation in the fashion industry as being somewhat of an ice queen. Have you been able to chip away at her cold exterior?” 

She’s bating him again. 

“No comment, next question please.” 

Emma stands a little closer and raises her skirt a little, enough to let him see that she’s not wearing her panties and his cheeks flush. He wants to grab her bottom and throw her onto the bed, but he restrains himself. His hormones are a different story. 

“Can you give us some tidbits about how you got to where you are today?” she asks. 

“I came in for a job interview and I came out with two jobs, it’s crazy, but I’m managing,” he reasons, “It’s _hard_ at times, but I find ways to manage the stress,” 

“How so?” 

Now, his cock is aching and suddenly, the thong feels tighter around him. “Ms. Swan is a big help,” he says. 

“So you do have a relationship or sorts with her. Can you give us more? Entice us,” 

Emma rolls up her skirt with her free hand and rubs herself. 

“No more questions please,” he says and grabs her suddenly, tossing down the mic and kisses her, “Bloody vixen...you think you can interview me and tease me, wearing nothing and showing it off to me?” 

She quirks an eyebrow and kisses him. “You’re practically wearing nothing yourself and you did pretty good. You sidetracked the invasive questions no matter how hard I tried to pry into yours’ and my personal life. I’m proud of you Killian,” she says. 

He looks down at himself and really, he thought very little about his own appearance, focusing instead on the questions and the best way to answer them. He’s still a little shy, but now he knows a new technique to sway the conversation. “Aye lass,” he agrees, “Thank you for the stimulating and enlightening experience,” 

She giggles and gets serious again, touching her hand on his chest. “You can do this, Killian, _we_ can do this,” she says.

“What are we then? Partners?” 

She studies him thoughtfully. “I’ve never had one before,” 

“A partnership isn’t a bad thing, good things come from collaboration and artists are often inspired by their muses to do great things.” 

Emma bites her lip, looking at him. “Partnerships can also be a scary thing but...I’m in if you are?” 

Killian kisses her deeply, pulling her bottom close to his bulge. “ _I’m in all the way love_ ,” he assures her and drags down the thong, coming into her wet arousal finally. 

tbc


	13. Dinner for Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She smirks and meets Henry downstairs. “Hey kid,” she greets, hugs and kisses his forehead.
> 
> “You have a productive workday, Ms. Swan?” Will asks.
> 
> “Very,” she says.

Killian gently combs his fingers through Emma’s hair as he cuddles next to her, tucked warmly under her covers. 

Today has been...

It showed him what he and Emma can be if they continue working together as partners. Bit by bit, he sees her exterior melting and learning to let go of her fears and insecurities. 

It started last night with their first date, admitting to him those fears and where they came from. There’s still some things that he knows she is keeping from him (like who is Henry’s father) but he doesn’t need to know that. 

He has also learned how they can balance their work and their relationship. There does have to be borders between them, but they can work together and get things done. 

There’s maybe a week and a half left in January and February 1st hits, things are going to get really busy preparing for fashion week. Emma will be swamped and maybe even locked away in her office working on last-minute prep and he’ll be working with Jefferson, making sure the clothes still fit him. He’s probably gained a few pounds in the last couple of days, but again, the sex with Emma has been very athletic, he hopes. 

“I was thinking about Paris earlier and the sights we can see when we’re there,” Emma says suddenly, “It’s funny, I’ve been there many times for fashion week but haven’t actually seen the city for what it truly is...there’s so much I want to…” Emma looks up at him, “Have you been there before?”

“To Paris?” 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not a far plane ride from the United Kingdom,” she reasons. 

Killian sighs, “True lass but nope, I haven’t been to Paris before. Liam and I, after our father left, well, he also took a lot of our money with him,” 

“Oh, I’m sorry Killian,” 

“That man was never a father to us anyway,” he says, “But it sounds like you’ve already started planning this trip. What have you found so far?” 

Emma sits up a little, tucking the blanket tightly around her breasts. “There’s obvious places like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but I think it would be fun to explore out of the way places that tourists usually miss,” 

“Such as?” 

Emma wants to say, but then realizes she wants it to be another surprise. 

“Swan?” 

“Another surprise,” she teases him. 

He sighs. “Really love?” 

She kisses him. “Trust me, okay? I promise that this trip will be something that we’ll both enjoy,” she whispers. 

“Aye,” he agrees and pulls her on top of him for a close kiss. 

He would love to make love to her again, but it is almost 5 p.m., and Henry is likely on his way home from school with Will. 

Emma moans into his mouth as she feels him fondle her beneath the sheets. He knows how to touch her in all the right places and make her squirm. 

“Fuck Killian,” she cries. 

“You don’t know how much I want to but Henry’s on his way home,” 

Emma closes her eyes and feels his fingers dig into her and make her juices flow. She wants to orgasm so hard and cum all over him. Emma starts moving her hips on his fingers, feeling that tension begin to send spikes through her skin. 

Killian feels her start to get wetter and he gently slaps her ass, goading her on to move faster. He looks at her face and smiles at him. He slaps her again and gyrates faster against his hand; he slaps her again and Emma becomes more deeply aroused, pushing her orgasm closer. 

She is so close. 

One more slap and she cums all over him and it feels like it’s burning through her body. Killian lays a hand on her back and pulls his other hand away, cradling her body next to him. 

After Emma recovers from her orgasm, both of them get dressed and clean. Emma rearranges her room the way it was before and Killian helps with the lifting. 

Soon everything is back in order and Emma hears the front door open and Henry talking to Will. She tells Killian to wait a few minutes and then follow her. 

“As you wish,”

She smirks and meets Henry downstairs. “Hey kid,” she greets, hugs and kisses his forehead.

“You have a productive workday, Ms. Swan?” Will asks.

“Very,” she says.

Killian comes down the stairs and Will stares at him. 

Emma steps between them. “Mr. Jones helped me with a lot of needed work for the upcoming showing,” 

“Right,” he says, “I better get going. I’ll be here tomorrow to take Henry to school,” he says. 

Henry says goodbye, and he takes off.

“I should be on my way out, too. It's been a long day…” Killian starts.

“You could stay for dinner,” Henry suggests.

Killian looks at Emma. 

“What do you think?”

“I think it would be nice if you stayed,” she agrees.

“Aye,”

Henry smiles.

~~

Emma warms up all the leftovers and finds Killian helping Henry set the table, listening to him talk about his day and assignments. He’s really listening to him too and seeing them together, it feels so perfect and wonderful. 

She's reminded of what she told him last night about being afraid that he’ll disappoint her and hurt Henry, but she doesn't get that vibe from seeing them. 

It feels right.

The fettuccine finishes warming, and she puts in the cacciatore. She comes to the dining room and braces Henry. 

“Busy at school today kid?”

“I was telling Killian about a new assignment. I have to report on events around me and critique them. It's for my civics class, to become more aware of our surroundings. Fashion week is coming up, I could make a live report from the red carpet and broadcast it to my class,”

“How?”

Henry smiles. “There's lots of fun ways to do that today with phones. I could use youtube, twitch but I think the best would be periscope because it could be uploaded to YouTube later,”

“Cool,” she notes, “I like it,”

Killian agrees. 

~~

The three of them enjoy dinner together, and Henry, mostly, is polite about their relationship. He is eleven and a lot about adult relationships goes over his head, but he is happy to see his mom genuinely happy and he knows that is because of Killian.

Killian brings something out of her that she hasn't felt in a long time. They finish dinner and Killian stays to chat for a bit before taking off. Emma walks him to the door and Henry goes upstairs to his room to start work on his other assignments. 

“Thank you for dinner Swan. I enjoyed interacting with your boy,”

She smiles. “I liked watching you too,” she says, “Henry's never attended a fashion week event before, and I'm excited for him,”

“Speaking of, I was also wondering if I could bring two guests,”

“Oh?”

“No need to be jealous, Swan. I was thinking of my brother Liam and his girlfriend Elsa. It’ll be a nice treat for them,” he says.

“I think I can get tickets for them,”

“Aye. Goodnight again, Swan and I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” he whispers, kissing her goodnight.

“Ditto and remember…”

“I know, no pda ” he concedes, “I’ll be on my model behavior,”

She smirks and kisses him again.

~~

Killian arrives at work early and checks in with Tink. She tells him that the office was surprisingly quiet yesterday with the exception of the press ringing Emma's phone about the upcoming fashion week. Jefferson needs to see him when he's free because he wants him to do a complete catwalk rehearsal with their other models. 

Killian decides to wait a bit for Emma to show up. 

She comes in at exactly 10 a.m., asking for her usual coffee but keeping the cups coming and for no one to disturb her until she's finished calling back Tink’s press contacts from yesterday. 

Killian's about to head downstairs to the showroom, but Emma asks to see him briefly in her office and he follows her inside. As soon as the door closes behind him, Emma pounces on him and kisses him breathlessly. When she pulls away and looks at her, he’s somewhat alarmed. 

“I thought you said no public displays of affection in the office?” he teases. 

“I did,” she confirms, “But I needed something sweet before I start my crazy day and I thought a kiss from you would do the trick,” 

Killian pulls her closer and kisses her, palming her breasts through her sweater blouse. He would love to stay like this and keep his Swan company but they both have responsibilities to attend to. Killian reluctantly moves away and looks at her. “I better go,” he notes. 

“Yeah, the models are already gathering in the showroom for runway practice,” she says, “I would be down there to oversee things but I need follow-up on these press calls,” 

“Aye,” he agrees and slips out. 

Emma touches her lips, takes a long breath and sits down, asking Tink to come in. Tink comes in a moment later with her iPad and Emma gestures that she take a seat and forward her the press people who called. Her first assistant forwards it to her gmail and Emma receives it on her iPad and starts calling. The first shots of coffee arrive, and Tink sets Emma’s cup aside as she waits for the dial. 

Emma spends about 15-20 minutes with each person on Tink’s list, getting through eight journalists before noon. 

“I can order some food and have it delivered for lunch?” Tink offers, “What would you like?”

Emma’s mind drifts to Killian, wondering what his first group modeling practice is like downstairs. 

“Ms. Swan? Boss? -- Emma?” Tink asks, smirking. 

She comes out of it and looks at her assistant. “Yeah, food’s fine,” she says. 

“I know, it’s lunch time, but what food would you like to order to drop off?” 

“Oh, um -- whatever you like,” 

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah,” she says. 

Tink sets down her iPad on Emma’s desk and crosses her legs, bracing her knee. “Okay,” she starts, “Who are you and where is Ms. Emma Swan?” 

Emma grins. “I’m right here,” 

“No, you’re not,” her assistant counters, “Your body is, but I think your mind is elsewhere with someone else...am I hot?” 

Emma bites her lip and Tink stands to shut the door. “You have a boyfriend, don’t you? You’re dating again? Emma, that’s wonderful. Who is it?” her friend asks excitedly. 

She doesn’t want to say it’s Killian. 

“Oh come on Emma, it’s me! We go way back, and you can trust me. Who is it?” Tink begs. 

She finally gives. “Jones,” she says simply.

Tink smiles brightly. “ _ I knew it!  _ I knew there was something going on between you two... well.I mean, the order for sexy male thongs to be delivered directly to your house was a dead giveaway but I’m happy for you Emma. You deserve some happiness, you know, after what happened with Walsh,” 

“I know, I was so scared for the longest time to let someone get close to me, but you know, it wasn’t just about me but Henry too. Henry liked Walsh and then we had to end things because of his affair with Regina. I couldn’t put him and myself through that again,” Emma remembers, “I am happy,  _ I’m very happy  _ with him,” 

Tink comes over and hugs her friend. “I’m glad that you’re happy Emma,” she says and sits back down on her chair, “So details, when did this start?” 

“After the fundraiser,” she muses, “Killian was so drunk from his rum and coffee cheesecake, I couldn’t send him home alone like that so we got a room for the evening to sleep and well, it only had one bed because everything had been taken for the event. He was greedy with the covers,” 

“This is a very new relationship for both of you then, that’s exciting,” Tink continues. 

“Speaking of,” Emma segways, “I need you to do a favor for me, a little something to do on the side while prepping for fashion week. It’s for me and Killian,” 

“Oooh, what is it?” 

“I asked him to come with me to Paris after the show here in New York. I know, normally, we do the show and go on to appear in others...this is kind of a big favor I’m asking you...but I need you to run the Paris show,” she says. 

“Oh my god Emma!” Tink floors, “For real?” 

“I won’t be there (you can make up an excuse or something that I’m busy planning for Italy and need the extra time for that). I hope to spend some time alone with Killian in Paris. I want to make it a really special trip for him, especially since it’s his first time going. Will you help me Tink?” 

“Of course. I’ll talk to Jefferson and coordinate with his team to catch up on what needs to be done,” Tink assures her, “You have a good time with your - are you referring to him as your boyfriend now? Clearly, you’re lovers, but has it gotten that far yet?” 

Emma shrugs. “I don’t know what we are yet, but I look forward to discovering what we are to each other when we’re in Paris,” 

Tink smiles. “There’s no better place to figure that out,” she teases. 

tbc


	14. Something Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Good,” he pipes, “I don’t know what she’s making but both of us are not allowed in that kitchen until she’s done. Have you played XBox before?” 
> 
> “No, I haven’t,” 
> 
> Henry picks up his XBox guitar and gives it Killian, using the player remote to load up the Rock Band. 

Jefferson dismisses all the models for the day around 3. Everyone else knows what they have to do, and this practice is meant more for Mr. Jones’ benefit so he becomes familiar with scheduling, backstage changes and his timing. 

Killian sits on the catwalk, texting Emma if she’s still busy making calls upstairs and she texts back that she’s done for now and is just wrapping up other things. He smiles, stands and heads to the lobby, taking the elevator back upstairs to the office. 

Tink’s at her desk taking notes on something and when she sees him, smiles warmly at him and goes back to work. He doesn’t think much of it, smiles back at her and then goes into Emma’s office. 

Emma’s checking her email but stops when she sees him and she stands, kissing him hello. It has been a long day being separated from each other but somehow, they both managed to get through it. It also helped Emma to be able to talk freely with Tink about Killian. She couldn’t imagine keeping that a secret from her friend for a long while. Plus, she really needed her help managing the Paris show. 

“How did everything go downstairs?” she asks. 

“Jefferson is a pro, walking me through it and helping me understand everything. Were you able to do what you needed up here?” 

“I was,” she starts, “and there’s something I have to tell you,” 

“What is it Swan?” 

“Tink knows about us,” she says. 

“I thought you wanted this private,” 

She shrugs. “I did, but I need her help coordinating the Paris fashion show, and she will be MCing the event while I will be with you,” Emma explains, “It’s okay. I’ve known Tink for a long time, and I know she’ll keep quiet about where I am and she’ll do a good job handling the event,” 

Killian sighs. “Aye, now I know why Tink gave me this lovely smile before I came in to see you,” he notes, “You sure she can be discreet?” 

“I trust her and I know you will likely tell your brother about us; I don’t know him very well, but I’m sure you told him to be discreet as well." 

Killian holds up his hand. “Okay lass,” he agrees, “You won’t be there, but what about me?” 

“I think it’s also understood that since I will be busy planning for Italy and you’re my second assistant, you’re expected to be with me,” she reasons, “and we do have back-up models for the showstopper,” 

“That second job position does come in handy,” 

“Hmm,” she muses. 

“Are you about done here with work or do you need more time?” 

Emma comes over, moves his chair close and sits on his lap. She leans in and kisses him, wanting to fuck him right there in her office, shitting her own damn rule about PDA, but it’s too risky. Emma can’t risk taking the press’ attention away from the show and her lead model’s debut. 

Killian seems to think otherwise, sliding her hand up her dress, down her tights and panties to her sweet spot, rubbing her softly. She feels wet already and grinds quietly against him. Emma bites her lip, fighting back a moan. They need to get out of here. She wants to scream. 

“Killian, we can’t,” she says finally and stands wobbly, leaning on her desk for support, “Later,” 

“Aye,” he sighs, “I know, no PDA, but when we’re in Paris, that rule doesn't apply there, does it?” 

“Paris will be...different,” she notes. 

He smiles. “I’ll start thinking about what I want to do with you when we’re in the City of Light and Love,” he says huskily, “How I have you...you did mention that I could have you anyway I wanted and I certainly intend to take full advantage of that promise,” 

The way he says that sends a thrill through her and she feels wet again, wanting him. “I think it’s time to call it a day,” she says finally. 

“About bloody time,” 

He leaves first, picks up his things and goes downstairs to the lobby. Emma comes out of her office later and follows. “Night Ms. Swan,” Tink says, winking at her as she passes her desk. 

“Goodnight Ms. Rose,” Emma says coolly, struggling to suppress a knowing smile. 

~~

Emma finds Killian downstairs in the lobby texting, and he arches an eyebrow, smirking as she approaches him. She called for her driver on the way down and he tells her that he’s waiting outside. Emma tells him to walk ahead and she’ll pick him up on the way, not wanting anyone to see him join her. Killian agrees and she walks out to get into her personal car and he follows shortly after, walking towards Liam’s flat. 

He walks about a block and a half, and then finds Emma’s black car riding beside him and she opens up, letting him inside. The window to the front is closed, he notices, and her seatbelt is unbuckled. Once he’s inside, seated beside her, Emma turns off the speaker connected to the front and kisses him, straddling herself on his lap. 

He kisses her back, hands resting on her waist and inching up her blouse, fondling her breasts. 

“I want to fuck,” she breaths into his ear, licking up his earlobe. 

“Bloody hell,” Killian groans, “Right here? We’re minutes away from your house,” 

“I told my driver to circle the block,” she reasons and slips off her tights, unzipping her skirt too and tossing it to the floor. 

Killian looks down and notes her red lace thong panties and dips his fingers into her. She’s really wet already. He licks her cum off his fingers and feels a buzz, making her giggle. Emma unzips his pants, loosening them around his waist and tugs them down, putting them on the floor along with her skirt. Then she lowers his boxers and takes his cock into her hand, squeezing it lightly. 

“Do you want me to fuck you, or do you just want to continue doing that love?” he teases back. 

Emma grins and angles herself closer to his waist until she slides into him and flesh upon flesh feels sizzling hot. Killian takes her arms and wraps them around his neck and gently starts thumping his cock in and out. Emma goads him to go faster and helps him along, gyrating her hips to match his thrust. The air in the backseat suddenly feels thick with their sex, and Emma can start to feel her pulse racing. 

Killian grabs her face in a longing kiss as she humps him faster. He growls into her mouth, feeling his own orgasm begin to peak and he cums inside her. Emma slows down her ministrations but doesn’t stop what she’s doing, still wanting to cum. Killian feels that and gently touches her, rubbing her sweet spot in circles while slowly coming into her. He rubs his own cock too. 

The friction from his petting her and him inside of her becomes too much and Emma cums on him, falling into his arms. He fixes her hair and kisses her cheek, still holding onto her. Emma blushes red and gently slides off him, putting her clothes back on and he starts doing the same. After they’re both properly dressed again, Emma instructs her driver to go around the block one more time and they both sit back and buckled in. 

Killian doesn’t say anything and, quite honestly, doesn’t really know what to say. He’s never had sex in a moving car before, and it makes him curious about what other things Emma’s mind is capable of. There’s a lot he wants to try out with her when they’re in Paris, but what just happened a moment ago, he thinks, is the beginning of something new for her. 

“Emma, love,” he starts, and she turns his attention to him, “Do you have any vices?” 

“Vices?” she questions, unsure of his meaning. 

“Deviant things of a sexual nature,” he explains, “A side of yourself that maybe you might be too embarrassed to share?” 

She arches her eyebrows and sighs. 

There’s always new things to try when it comes to sex. 

Spanking the other night was a new one for her but found that she liked it, knowing it was his hand. Sex in the car is something she hasn’t really done before, not even with Walsh. Maybe there is a part that wants to let go a little but is still too scared  _ to let it completely go _ , for now anyway. 

Paris will be a different story, hoping to get some inspiration from the city itself. 

“Maybe,” she admits, “There’s some things besides traditional sex I would like to try, but I think it would be best to save the good stuff for when we’re in Paris. Is that okay?” 

“Aye,” he agrees. 

Emma tries to scoot a little closer to him. “What kind of things do you want to try with me?” she whispers. 

“That is my special surprise,” he teases back, “and I hope you enjoy them,” 

She kisses him. “I think we’ll enjoy whatever we do in Paris as long as it’s with each other,” she reasons. 

“I think so too lass,” 

~~

By the time they reach Emma’s house, Henry and Will are just arriving. Will opens up and Henry goes inside, putting his school stuff away and waves hello to Killian. Killian doesn’t really know if he should just walk in and then Emma invites him inside. He gets out of the car and follows her. 

“I’m taking off Emma,” Will calls, “Happy Friday,” 

It hadn’t even occurred to Killian that it’s Friday. His first work week went by so fast, prepping for the fundraiser and then beginning his new relationship with Emma a short time later. He has no plans for the weekend, mainly because he hadn’t thought about it and he doesn’t know if Emma has plans either. He catches Emma when she comes back downstairs, dressed casual and pulls her into an embrace and kisses her. 

“Hey, hold on there tiger,” she teases. 

“Do you have plans for the weekend?”

“I wanted to talk to Henry about us and our trip to Paris, make sure it’s okay with him,” she reasons, “Generally speaking, he seems happy for us,  _ for me _ ,” 

He smiles. “That’s good,” 

“All of our leftovers are gone,” she reports, “But if you’re willing to wait, I was thinking of making something.” 

“That sounds good lass,” 

Emma kisses him and directs him to the living room where Henry’s setting up his XBox. Killian joins him, sitting on the couch and watching the lad. Henry manages to turn it on and select one of the last games he saved. 

“So you’re staying for dinner?” he asks. 

“It appears so,” 

“Good,” he pipes, “I don’t know what she’s making but both of us are not allowed in that kitchen until she’s done. Have you played XBox before?” 

“No, I haven’t,” 

Henry picks up his XBox guitar and gives it Killian, using the player remote to load up the _Rock Band_. 

The song list he notices has a lot of classic 80’s rock, which he loves, and he directs Henry to select one of his favorites. Before they start, Henry gives him a quick tutorial about how to play the keys, and that each colored key on the guitar corresponds with a note on screen. Getting the note right is all about timing. 

The song loads up and he watches the countdown clock, preparing his fingers for the first set of keys. He fumbles a few times with the keys but quickly picks up, finding all the right notes and keeping in time with what colors he sees on screen. Henry just watches from the couch as he rakes up points. 

When they finish, Killian gets a high score and is placed among the top plays of the game. He gives the guitar back to Henry and he puts it down next to the TV. 

“You were awesome!” Henry raves. 

“Thank you lad. My brother Liam taught me how to play some guitar,” 

“Cool,” he says and looks over at Emma, “So, you and mom are pretty serious?” 

Killian blushes. They haven’t been able to keep their hands off each other since they gave into their passions. “We are,” he says, “Emma told me about what happened with Walsh.” 

“I don’t know all the details about what happened with Walsh, only that she couldn’t see him anymore because he hurt her. I have a good feeling about you though. She’s changed so much already, done things she hasn’t done in a long time. I know my mom is a workaholic and she wants me to have a good life but she’s missed out on so much, I miss her sometimes too,” Henry continues, “That’s why I’m doing this civics project on the fashion show so at least maybe we can spend some time together and I can see what she does for a living,” 

“That’s very commendable Henry,” 

“She took me to school yesterday and she hasn’t done that since I was in kindergarten,” he continues and looks at him, “This might sound selfish coming from me but I hope you guys never break up. She’s coming out of her icy shell because of you, it’s good,” 

Killian looks back at Emma in the kitchen and then to her son. “I don’t plan for it, Henry,” he reasons, wanting desperately for them to become something more. 

tbc


	15. Booty Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Not particularly, what did you have in mind?’
> 
> It is a multifaceted question, imagining what she could be doing right now if Killian were with her, but mostly, she just misses him. ‘Can I see you?’ 

Emma wakes around 9:30 Saturday morning, puts on a robe and starts making breakfast downstairs. 

Killian stayed for dinner last night (she made chicken taco casserole, one of Henry’s favorites) and he stayed a little after, helping to clean up the kitchen and put away the leftovers. Henry went to his room to spend some time researching the upcoming fashion week and take down some questions. 

That little alone time downstairs in the kitchen allowed Emma and Killian to occasionally get distracted and steal kisses between cleaning up and engaging in some fondling of each other, but still manage to clean up before 8 p.m. 

Emma didn’t want him to leave, but she needed an early start tomorrow, so Killian left the house by 9 and Emma turned in herself. 

She hears Henry come downstairs before ten as she finishes making breakfast for both of them and sets everything out on the dining room table. 

“This looks great, mom!” Henry exclaims, “It was nice having Killian over last night, seems like a good guy,” 

“You _really_ like him?” she asks, cutting her pancakes. 

“He makes you happy, and that’s a good thing. I also think he’s good for you in general,” he continues, “You used to not make breakfast for me on Saturdays, preferring to catch up on work from the previous week...you’re changing, mom and it’s a good change,” 

“Change can be scary sometimes, Henry,” 

“It doesn’t have to be,” he adds. 

She sips her cinnamon hot chocolate and puts it down next to her mocha coffee. “This relationship or whatever this is still, it’s new for both Killian and I, but we are pretty serious with each other,” Emma reasons, “which is why I invited him to come with me to Paris for a romantic getaway, after our New York fashion week debut,” 

“You’re skipping Paris fashion week?!” 

“Not completely,” she confesses, “My first assistant Tink will be MCing the event, but I won’t be there since I’ll be touring Paris with Killian. I bring this up because I need to know that you’re okay with it. The last time I got serious with a guy, Walsh, it ended badly for me and I know it hurt you that we ended things,” 

Henry reaches over the table and holds her hand. “Aside from the fact that you haven’t taken any personal time off in years, it’s good that you’re finally treating yourself,” he says, “How long did you want to take off for?” 

Emma sighs. “Maybe a week,” she says. 

“Cool. Do you need help planning? I can do research!” 

“I know you can kid, but there’s some stuff I have in mind that isn’t exactly appropriate for an 11 year old to research,” she notes. 

“Gotcha,” he agrees. 

Emma eats some more of her pancakes and drinks her hot cocoa. “Maybe we can hit downtown and visit some galleries or something. Are there any new shows going on?” she wonders. 

“Most art galleries are closed this time of year, preparing for new spring exhibits,” he reminds her, “Anyway, I wanted to continue writing my interview questions for the show,” 

“Okay,” 

~~

Emma finishes cleaning up and putting away any leftovers from breakfast, then goes upstairs to shower and change. Henry’s in his room and Emma doesn’t really have a lot to do. She checks her work email for anything new that she needs to know about but nothing. She lays back on her bed and grabs her phone from her nightstand and texts Killian. 

_‘Morning love,’_ he texts back, _‘You talk with Henry about Paris?’_

_‘I did_ _and he’s okay with it_ ,’ she types, _‘Are you busy?’_

_‘Not particularly, what did you have in mind?’_

_It_ is a multifaceted question, imagining what she could be doing right now if Killian were with her, but mostly, she just misses him. ‘ _Can I see you?’_

_‘I can come by and…’_

_‘No, I mean_ _come and see you at your place_. _Is your brother home or is he working early today?’_ she corrects him. 

_‘Liam leaves to open The Jolly Roger around 11,’ he says._

Emma minimizes her texts and asks Will if he can come to her around 11 and watch Henry. He texts back that he can and he will be there. Emma closes her texts and calls Killian. 

“I asked Will to come over and watch Henry, so I can meet you at your brother’s place a little after 11,” she says. 

“I look forward to seeing you Swan,” 

~~

“Henry?” Emma calls and he comes to meet her in the hallway, “Will is coming over to watch you because I need to go out and meet someone,” 

He smiles at her knowingly. “You’re going to see him, aren’t you? It’s okay mom,” he tells her. 

She comes over and kisses his forehead. “Be good,” she orders. 

“I know,” he promises. 

Emma hugs him and then takes off, putting on a long-red winter jacket to cover her black sweater, skirt and tights and knee-high boot heels. She also has something else hidden in her oversized matching red bag and it’s for Killian alone. She’s surprised when she gets outside, the weather is not as cold as it should be and hopes that the slightly warmish weather continues into February, especially when she and Killian are in Paris. 

Emma takes out the scrap paper where she wrote down directions to Killian’s place, which is surprisingly close to her. Once she gets there, she bumps into Liam on his way out of the building and she blushes. 

“Good Saturday Ms. Swan,” he says, “Here to visit my brother, I take it?” 

“We made last-minute plans but you were supposed to be gone by the time I got here,” she notes. 

Liam grins. “I needed to straighten out a few things before taking off. Anyway, if you and my brother are hungry for food, _The Jolly Roger_ is around the corner,” he says. 

Emma thanks him for the invite and goes inside. The apartment is on the second floor so she opts to take the stairs rather than the elevator and follows the papers’ directions to find his flat, unit 206. She knocks on the door and waits. Killian answers, wearing a blue shirt and jeans. 

“Come on in lass,” he invites. 

Emma kisses him hello and walks inside the apartment, which is more of a medium-size loft with wood floors, but it looks like it had been converted from a studio space. The living room opens up directly to the kitchen and there’s a narrow hallway from the kitchen to the bedrooms. 

“Your brother has a nice place,” she says. 

“He let me move in after I graduated from NYU, but I needed to look for a job,” Killian explains, going over to the kitchen, “Did you want anything to drink?

Emma sits down on the couch. “Just some water,” she says. 

He comes back with two glasses of iced water. 

“I saw Liam when I arrived here,” 

“I let it slip that you were coming over and he insisted on helping me clean up before he left,” Killian muses, “He’s very fussy about this place,” 

“I can see why,” she giggles. 

“So your talk with Henry, it went well?” 

She smiles. “It did, he’s okay with us spending time together in Paris,” 

“About how much time by the way?” 

“A week,” she says, “I still have the Milan show to worry about and I can’t ask Tink to take that on too,” 

“Aye,” he agrees. 

He scratches his neck and looks at her suggestively. “Can I have a hint at least of what I should be expecting when we’re in Paris?” he asks. 

“#No spoilers,” she teases. 

Killian puts down his glass and pounces on her, kissing her neck and loosening her blouse, “Not even if I tease it out of you?” he breaths huskily into her hair. 

“Easy there tiger,” she sighs. 

He undoes her skirt and slides it off her, slipping a hand beneath her tights and is shocked to find that he can’t have immediate access. The fabric is blocking him. “What are you wearing underneath this?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teases back. 

“Perhaps I would Swan,” he says, and kisses her. 

Emma ducks and stands. “Which ones’ yours?” she asks. 

“Swan?” 

“Your room, which one is yours?” she says. 

He stands, takes her hand and leads her back to his room. Liam’s room she notices is bigger and Killian’s is at the end of the hall next to the linen closet and bathroom. He lets her inside and sits on his bed. Killian closes the door behind them and he comes over to her, kissing her again. 

Emma hungrily kisses him back and paws at his shirt, almost ripping it off as she slips a hand on his belly and feels that chest hair of his. 

Killian tries to feel her again, but he’s blocked by whatever it is she’s wearing underneath. 

“What bloody hell are you wearing?” he growls. 

Emma gets up from the bed, puts down her purse and starts stripping her clothes. She unzips her long boots first, swaying and dips her legs, tugging down her tights to give him a small glimpse of what she's wearing underneath. 

It’s tight, black and it barely covers her bottom. Emma turns around and removes her blouse, exposing the rest, and now Killian has a better idea of how she has one, a one-piece black lace lingerie bodysuit that hugs her in all the right places. 

“You like?” she asks, looking at him coyly. 

“Bloody hell,” he breathes. 

“I have more,” she teases, gesturing to her large purse, “I figured it’s only fair since the last time we were alone in a bedroom together, you were modeling that I should do the same for you,” 

Killian grins, gesturing she comes over and she comes closer to the bed and when she’s within length, he pulls her close and grabs her bottom. “You are a bloody amazing Swan,” he says, “This is a small tease of what I should expect in Paris?” 

“Paris I promise will be so much more,” 

Killian pulls her back further onto the bed and Emma lands on top of him, her breasts falling onto his face and her hair flips over her head. 

“Killian?” she asks, fixing her hair and looking around the bed for him, “Killian?” 

Suddenly, she feels his tongue licking and teasing her cleavage. “I rather like this surprise, much better Swan,” he manages beneath her, bracing his hands behind her back. 

“Killian,” she starts, wanting to move, but he stops her. 

“Don’t move Swan,” he warns her, lapping up kisses on her chest. 

If she can’t move, she might as well tease him mercilessly and grinds her leg against his thigh. The problem with pants is that she doesn’t have direct contact with him and struggles to free one of her hands. 

Killian lets her left hand free and she undoes his pants, slipping them down his waist so she has better access to his boxers. She feels wet already knowing that the thing separating them are his black cotton boxers. Killian lets go of her other hand and she uses that to cup him. 

“Someone’s greedy for something,” he hisses. 

“Like you’re not having a good time with my boobs right now?” she counters. 

He laughs, “They are quite lovely from where I am,” he admits. 

Emma gently massages him through his boxers, feeling him heat up beneath her hands and gods, and she wants to feel that so badly, but it will be difficult to get Killian to move. “Killian,” she whines. 

“Not now love,” he rebuffs her, his hands finally finding out how he can remove this black piece from her. 

“Killian,” she moans, cupping him hard. 

He winces, feeling that squeeze and it bloody makes him want to fuck her, but there’s something else he desperately wants right now that he can’t get enough of. He undoes the last button holding the one piece together and slips it off so his Emma is totally nude and yes, he has her nipples in his face. 

Killian plunges his tongue into her nipples, sucking and kissing. His right hand braced her bottom and pulling her snuggly close, teasing his hard cock against her wetness. 

“Killian,” she moans, humping her leg against him. 

His other hand cups her breasts as he continues sloppily kissing her nipples and feeling her rub hard against him. She wants to fuck and he wants to fuck, but he’s having too much of a good time right now. Emma finally starts melting, rubbing her hips faster against him. 

“Slap me,” she commands. 

He gives her a sharp slap on her left and she grinds harder on him. Killian sucks harder on her nipples and slaps her again, eliciting a hiss. He slaps her again and Emma arches her back a little, giving him space to slip a hand between them and rub her wetness. She is so incredibly warm and milky wet. 

“Slap me there,” she begs again, feeling his fingers on her. 

Killian alternates slapping and rubbing her in circles, but mostly slaps her. Emma starts feeling an intense pleasurable fire build within her, and after a few more slaps, she crumbles and it feels like there’s a lightning surge coarse through her and she collapses on top of him, spent. Killian sucks her nipple one last time and then pulls up her body so he’s face to face with her, and her cheeks are totally red and flushed. 

“Is Paris like that?” he manages. 

Emma lazily smiles at him, winking, “#No Spoilers, remember?” she teases. 

“You wicked woman,” he growls, “I think I might have to punish you for that?” 

Punishment. Now there’s an idea. 

~~

After a short cuddle together, Emma feels like she needs a shower and Killian shows her to the bathroom. It’s a small bathroom, then the one in the hotel where the fundraiser was at, there’s no hot tub, but it has twin sinks and a decently sized shower that fits two people. Emma steps inside and then invites Killian to join her. He strips his boxers and joins her as she turns on the shower, enjoying the first fall of water droplets on her skin. Killian wants to pull her into an embrace, but she stops him, holding him back. 

“I want to make one thing clear,” she says, letting her hand fall to his balls and squeezes them lightly, “These are mine and I hate that you denied them to me earlier. I so wanted to feel them inside me, coming in and out of me,” 

“From which orifice are you referring, Swan?” 

She cocks an eyebrow and touches herself, “This one,” she says coyly and sticks a finger inside her wet heat, “Hmm, feels so good,” 

Killian wants to feel what she feels but she keeps him at bay. 

“No, no, no,” she continues, spreading her legs and allowing her fingers better access, “You’re not touching anything. The only thing you have to do is stand there and watch me and remember,” she clenches him tight, “ _These are mine_. Do you understand?” 

Killian sighs. “Aye,” he agrees, his eyes drawn once again to her hips and her fingers teasing herself. 

Emma takes her hand away from his chest and lets it rest on her clit, drawing in a second finger. Killian watches as she makes circles around her folds, simulating his penis coming in and out in slow motion. He wants to fondle her and touch himself but knows that he can’t. Emma closes her eyes softly, feeling the spray of the water falling over her body and she starts drawing forefingers deeper inside her clit. 

“Bloody hell Swan,” 

She spreads her folds, sliding in her ring and forefinger and lightly starts slapping her clit with her other hand. She whimpers quietly and uses her other hand to gently massage around the area that she slapped before slapping it again. Killian spots some white cums that begin to drip down her thigh and he wants to lick it up. He wants to lick her. 

A warm smile comes onto Emma’s face as she strokes herself harder, feeling that cum mixing with the spray of water makes things so much easier. She slaps herself again and can hear Killian groan in frustration, she can also imagine his cock swelling. Thinking that makes her want to fuck herself harder, no longer caring about using her fingers to pretend. She braces one hand against the wall behind her and slaps herself again and again in quick strokes until her body is rippling with the orgasm. 

Killian comes towards her as she calms down and opens her eyes, looking at him. “Can I have now?” he asks. 

Emma thinks about it and then smiles at her approval. He obeyed her orders and restrained himself. 

He comes closer, grabs her back and kisses her hotly before kneeling onto the floor and buries himself in her heat. Emma’s unprepared by the fierceness of his tongue and his lips kissing her arousal and hitting every nerve he can find. He holds her waist and positions her legs to slightly widen for him, allowing for better access. 

Emma shuts her eyes again, raking her fingers through his hair as Killian continues his tongue assault on her clit and it is a major one, leaving no skin untouched. Making love in the shower is definitely something she needs to fit into their daily schedule when they’re in Paris. Her mind focuses again on Killian’s talented tongue, sucking, tickling and kissing her, especially when his tongue lashes over that small bell. 

“Fuck Killian!” she cries. 

He grins up at her. “Dirty mind and dirty mouth,” he teases, showing off his curled tongue. 

“Killian, I need…” she whimpers, her legs beginning to feel wobbly. 

Killian notices, and he immediately positions both of his hands on the back of her knees for support. He licks her some more, directing his attention to a specific vein that he knows will do the most damage. 

Sure enough, a moment later, Emma spasms on top of him, and this time it feels like short interval shocks one after another. Killian stands and braces his hands around her back and kisses her. Her face is flushed and standing so close to her, he can feel her heart beating erratically. 

“I won’t ask anymore about Paris,” he promises. 

“Good,” she breaths, “Now, will you clean my back?” 

He laughs, picks up the scrub and pours his body onto it. Killian leans forward and rests his head on her shoulder, “Are you sure that’s all you want me to do love?” he whispers to her. 

“For now,” she says. 

Killian kisses her cheek and dutifully starts scrubbing and cleaning her back. 

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Friday, when I posted Chapter 16, we will finally be at the halfway point of the story!! And almost to Paris too!!


	16. Showroom Antics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma laughs, feeling her flushed body... “Your life is going to change after the debut Killian. The whole world is going to know your name and will want any part of you they can get,” 

Two days before _The Jeweled Swan_ ’s fashion week debut, Emma is busy finalizing schedules in her office and asks Tink to shadow her as she moves through the motions, mostly so her first assistant knows what to do when she’s officiating the show in Paris. 

The whole office is in a frenzy providing support to the models and doing whatever else needs to be done. Emma would like it if things would slow down, she’s high strung and needs a moment to relax, but this is how things have always been, every year. Killian has not been at his desk at all, spending his time downstairs with Jefferson and the other models. 

Emma hasn’t had a chance to look at the venue that they’ll be at and make sure everything is to her liking. She’s been very busy with everything else. She also misses not seeing her lover at his desk but she knows that he has a very important role to play as lead model. But she’s sure that he’s just as wound up as she is and if she can slip away, they can relieve each other of the stress with some sex. Her panties feel soaked thinking about it and she lets out a tiny moan. 

“Ms. Swan?” Tink interrupts, “Are you alright?” 

“Not really, I need a break,” she says finally and looks at her assistant, “You know what needs to be done, take care of it for me. There’s somewhere I need to be,” 

Tink doesn’t argue with her, and Emma slips away, hurrying to the elevator and presses the button for the showroom. 

The elevator opens up and steps in, and the moment the door closes, she calls Jefferson to give her space and time to talk to her lead model. He reluctantly gives it to her and she can hear him order the other models to clear the room and take a break. Emma thanks him and shuts off her phone. 

She walks out, finds the showroom, and the last of the models is filling out as Jefferson directs them to the bathroom to change their clothes. He tells her that Killian’s is the only one inside. 

Emma thanks him and once the last model exits the room, Emma locks the door and walks backstage to look for her lover. She finds Killian seated in front of a dresser, wiping off makeup from his face and wearing a black furry robe, or a long jacket. Emma’s not sure which one. She tries to sneak up behind him, but he sees her in the mirror and turns around, kissing her hello. 

“What are you doing down here?” he asks. 

“I needed to see you,” she says, and kisses him, “Things are crazy upstairs and I needed to unwind a little,” 

“Of course, the debut is in two days,” he reminds her, _his debut_ actually. 

She notices some guyliner on him and smiles. “Jefferson’s trying a new look on you, I like it,” 

“The guyliner,” he says, shaking his head, “I’ve never worn makeup before I took this job,” 

Emma bites her lip. “Would you like not to be wearing anything right now?” she asks. 

He scratches his ear. “Just me lass?” he teases. 

Emma kisses and whispers into his ear, “There’s something I need you to do first,” she says, “Meet me on the runway and change into one of those thongs,” 

She leaves him to change and goes back up front, looking for a portable digital camera. Usually they keep one laying around to take reference pictures of the clothes and she finds one, checking first to make sure there’s nothing else important on it. She could use her own iphone for this but she can take this camera home and load it directly onto her Mac for her own private collection. 

Killian comes out from behind the curtains, wearing a bright blue tight thong. He strides down the runway and Emma takes her position, snapping pictures of him wearing thongs and posing for her. “Is there anything else you want me to do love?” he asks. 

“This is good, excellent,” she says, continually snapping pictures of him but also close-ups of the thong itself and that bulge of his. 

He stops at the center, thrusting his hips forward and stands still, letting her take pictures. 

“Maybe you can…” she starts, “Lower the thong a little, just to tease me,” 

Killian raises an eyebrow and lowers the thong just a little and Emma zooms in with her camera, taking close ups to his waist. 

“Any other poses you would like for me, Swan?” he asks. 

She puts down her camera and thinks real hard, then tells him to put his hand over his crotch and look like he’s massaging himself. Killian does what she says and Emma takes more pictures, feeling her own aching building. 

“Ms. Swan?” he asks again. 

She snaps some pictures of him waist up, paying careful attention to his chest that she loves so much and then directs her attention again to that bright blue thong of his. 

“Have you had enough yet?” he asks. 

She smirks at him from behind her camera. “Of you? _Never_ ,” she teases. 

Killian rather likes this playful side of hers, but he’d also like her pinned beneath him on the catwalk. He lets her take some more photos and then he fixes his thong and gives him the pouty lips. 

“No more pictures Swan,” he says, prowling around her, “Give that camera to me,” 

“You have to take it from me first,” she cries and runs backstage. 

“Bloody woman!” he cries and races after her. 

Killian chases her around backstage and she runs faster, directing him to the front of the catwalk. He stops and corners her, asking politely for the camera. Emma hesitates and then gives it to him. Killian snatches the camera from her, previewing through the pictures he took of him. There were a lot of crotch shots as he suspected, some upper body shots and zoom ins of his partially exposed bulge. 

“You are one very naughty woman, Ms. Swan,” he says, “I don’t think any of these pictures do me justice,” 

She quirks an eyebrow, biting her lips. “To be fair, the point of interest is the thong,” she says. 

“Aye, it is,” he agrees, “Are you still interested in _it_?” 

“Hmm, yes,” she moans, feeling her body buzzing with arousal. 

Killian sets the camera aside and comes closer to her, bracing her hips. She’s wearing a loosely fitted skirt and no tights since it’s gotten warmer out in recent weeks with a silky tight blue blouse. He brings up her skirt and slides his hand down her inner thigh and underwear. 

She got off on taking pictures of him wearing almost nothing. 

“You locked the door?” he asks. 

“I did,” she confirms. 

“Good,” he says and tells her to lay down. 

Emma does what he says, and he removes his thong, letting his cock spring out. The moment Emma sees it, she licks her lips and she is aching for him. 

He kneels on the floor and raises her left leg, watching her loosely fitted skirt fall against her waist and expose her bare legs and high heels. Her clit is throbbing and she needs him so badly. He gently lowers her leg and removes her panties, pushing them aside. Killian raises her leg again and comes into her, thrusting hard and fast. She purposely got him worked up and he can’t stop himself, ramming into her. 

“Feels so good,” she cries. 

“You like a hard fuck,” he breathes, speeding up his ministrations. 

“I need this _so_ much,” Emma cries, feeling all the tension of the morning melting away. 

Killian backs away slightly, massaging his hot cock and then slaps her before putting it back in. He starts to feel the tension between them build and he pulls her bottom closer, thrusting deeper and harder. Emma feels it too and begs him to spank her, no holding back. Killian does so, hitting both her and him and doubly forcing them both over the edge in a glorious orgasm. 

Killian pulls out and lays down next to her on the catwalk, totally spent. Emma still feels her heart pounding and her legs feel really wobbly like jello, but she manages to turn her body and kiss him. 

“Feeling better love?” he asks. 

“Much,” she says, “What time is it?” 

Killian lifts his head and looks at the circle clock in front of them over the exit. “3 p.m.,” he says and drops his head again, “Why? Did you want to…” 

Emma laughs, feeling her flushed body. “As much as I would love too, I should check in with Tink upstairs and make sure everything is in order,” she says and kisses him warmly, “Your life is going to change after the debut Killian. The whole world is going to know your name and will want any part of you they can get,” 

“And?” 

She kisses hand cups him gently, “Just remember, _these are mine_ ,” she says. 

“I know not to cross you when you want something,” he reasons, “Any other words of wisdom?” 

She plays with some of her chest hair and kisses his neck, uncupping him, “You’re my lead model and you represent not only this company but me too, so please, be on your model behavior and whenever the press asks an intrusive question, don’t give in no matter how much they want,” 

“I know love,” he whispers, cradling her. 

“There’s also going to be a lot of after-parties. We’ll be together, but not really together, and we still need to keep a low profile when it comes to our relationship,” she says. 

Killian sighs, understanding but secretly wishes she would be more open to the public about who they are to each other. It hurts him to treat him as just another employee, especially when he knows that he’s more than that to her. 

“Aye,” 

“I’ve also reserved some private rooms for us, in the event we run into another repeat of what happened at the fundraiser,” Emma continues. 

“Aye, fine Swan,” he says, maybe a little too bitterly. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” 

Emma sits up and asks him to look at her. “Killian, there’s something bothering you. Please tell me,” 

He doesn’t want to make a scene and ruin her mood before the debut, but it is starting to get to him how closely she keeps their relationship under wraps. Jefferson, Tink and he are sure all the male models he works with know that he and Emma are an item but are keeping their mouths shut about it. 

But Emma’s still keeping him under a tight leash, and it’s starting to feel suffocating about how they can’t go around in public like a normal couple. There will be Paris and he looks forward to what she has planned there, but he wants her to be more open now. 

“Killian, you’re scaring me,” she worries. 

“After my debut, the whole world will know about me, but they still won’t know about us,” 

“Killian, we talked about this, I’m not ready for an open relationship yet; not after the embarrassment I went through with Walsh,” she reminds him. 

“Except I’m not him Swan and haven’t I proven how loyal I am to you?” he counters, “I realize you live life in the eye of the camera but you must know by now that I have no intention of hurting you, love,” 

She goes to kiss him and he turns his cheek. 

“I’m sorry and I understand your frustration, but it has to be this way for now Killian,” she says, “You are everything to me and I know once I share you with the world, you won’t be completely mine anymore,” 

He turns and looks at her. “I’ll always be yours Swan...I just wish we didn’t have to continually hide our relationship from everyone,” 

Killian stands and starts going backstage to change, then picks up the camera and deletes all the pictures, dropping them on the floor. “To preserve those from possibly leaking,” he says, “I could have deleted them before, but I didn’t because you took them,” 

He leaves her alone and Emma sits there, holding her knees under her chin. She waits forty minutes and then Killian comes out again, fully dressed, and she stands to meet him. 

“Swan,” 

“Jones,” 

He tips his head and goes to leave but the door doesn’t budge. Emma comes over and unlocks it, letting him out.

~~

Killian picks up his things stored in the men’s locker room and heads out. It's about 4:30 now, feeling a cross between cold and warm air and starts walking slowly towards his brother's loft. 

“Killian wait!” Emma calls after him, running down the block towards him. He stops and catches her. “There's something you need to understand about me and why I'm hesitant to go public about us,”

“I know why Swan, you don't trust me,”

“No, that's not it. I trust you, it's just..Every time I've been open with my heart, it gets crushed. I know you're different, but old habits die hard. Us going public is a big deal and it's putting my heart on center stage for all the world to see, and it's scary,”

“It doesn't have to be Swan, I’ll be right there beside you,” he reminds her.

She kisses his cheek and tugs at his collar. “Be patient, I’ll get there, but you have to understand it won't be overnight,”

“Aye,” he agrees, “I’m sorry I walked out on you Swan,”

“Apology accepted,” she smiles, “We're still on for Paris?”

“Yes,”

“Good because I just finalized our trip details a few days ago, the plane, the hotel, it's all booked,” Emma reasons, “And I promise you Killian, you will begin to see a more open me when we're there,”

“I would still like to know what that means but I know it's a surprise,”

Emma smiles appreciatively, “ _A good surprise_ ,” 

Tbc


	17. The Debut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Remember Killian, you’re my star, the brightest one in my army of models and you shine for me,” she tells him before rushing off to start the show. 

Emma arrives early at the fashion venue for their first show of fashion week. Audio, stage and lights are still being fine-tuned, mics checked. 

The press and the general public won’t begin arriving until around 3 p.m. and Jefferson is busy backstage, getting the first set of models prepped. 

Killian won’t join the other models until the second set, but when she finds him, one of Jefferson’s makeup ladies is putting the final touches on his guyliner. He spots her in the mirror watching him and smiles, taking note of her white swan feathered dress and classically permed blonde hair and red lipstick. The dress has a long V-neck plunge and pushes her breasts together. 

“Aren’t you a vision Swan?” he says, “Like a swan princess,” 

“Swan princess of fashion,” she corrects, “I just wanted to check on you and make sure that you’re okay,” 

The makeup artist holds his neck still as she applies some light powder cover up and gets rid of the shine. “A little nervous,” he admits. 

Emma comes a little closer and kisses his cheek, much to the makeup artist’s dismay, but she doesn’t care. “Being nervous is normal Killian, just remember what I taught you; imagine them in their underwear and then you’ll feel less self-conscious. You’re going to be fine, and after your third change is done, you can relax,” She backs away and the makeup artist goes back to work. 

His last outfit change will be modeling the showstopper, Jefferson and Emma’s joint fashion collaboration. Sketches had been traded between them back and forth for months until they could jointly decide on something that they both could be happy with. 

“Thank you Swan,” he says, “Your words mean a lot to me,” 

“I’m already proud of you Killian,” she reminds him, “There’s no need to impress me anymore, just relax and have fun,” 

~~

Emma does some final touches on her makeup before going to the red carpet to greet and welcome the press. There are a lot of photographers there, but the one person she is looking for is her son, Henry, and she spots him with one of his classmates, Violet. 

“Welcome everyone to the opening of New York’s 2018 spring fashion week!” she announces, “We have a stunning line prepared as well as the debut of a new model, the _Jeweled Swan_ ’s bright and handsome upcoming new star, Killian Jones. The theme for today’s show is ‘bringing back the classics.’ I’m open to questions before other guests arrive,” 

Almost all the press starts calling on her, but Emma picks on Henry first and invites him to come forward to the podium where she is. Violet’s already set Henry iphone for periscoping. 

“What’s your name, sir ?” she asks, smiling. 

“Henry Swan and Violet Morgan from Storybrooke Elementary,” he says, “My first question is, what made you decide on this particular theme, ‘Bringing back the Classics’ for this spring’s men’s line?” 

“I feel like nowadays, men’s fashion has become bland, and it needed something to make it fresh and exciting again, and there’s a certain type of chicness that the old era of fashion had that doesn’t really exist today,” she explains. 

“It’s timeless then,” 

Emma smiles, “Yeah, I like that,” 

“My second question is, what inspires you when you’re working with designers on new looks?” 

“I receive many fashion magazines that I keep locked away in my office at work, but the one I most pay attention to and take copious notes from _The Debut_ , because they are the leading magazine in the fashion industry, showcasing both old and up-and-coming brand names, which has always been the mission statement for _The Jeweled Swan_. My company started out small with only a handful of workers and new designers, and I’m fortunate that it’s grown into what it is today. I’m always taking notes and giving proper attention to smaller, lesser-known brands because that’s where I was once and don’t ever want to forget that,” she explains. 

“You don’t think of these smaller companies as competition?” 

Emma nods, “I know everyone competes with someone else in this industry, but I like to think of us as a family who occasionally fights each other come every February and during the summer,” she laughs, “No family is perfect,” 

Violet steps in and gives Henry the iPhone to continue recording, “Violet Morgan, Ms. Swan. Do you have a favorite piece or pieces that we will be seeing today?” she asks. 

She moans. “It’s so hard to pin down a favorite piece,” she whines, “So, I’m going to give the diplomatic answer and say they all are, but there is a certain combo that is my absolute favorite. No spoilers on which one that is,” 

Violet looks at Henry. 

“That’s all Ms. Swan, thank you for your time and Storybrooke Elementary thanks you too!” he says. 

“No problem kiddo,” she says, and Henry and Violet go back to the press line, “I have time for a few more questions,” and she picks on a woman towards the front-center. 

“Guinevere DuLac from _Classic Style_ , can you tell us more about your new model, Killian Jones? How did you find him?” 

Emma smiles. “He originally interviewed to be my second assistant, which he is, in addition to being the company’s new lead model. He brings a fresh new, energetic look to _The Jeweled Swan,_ and I hope you’re as impressed with him as I am,” she says, 

“Impressed, how has he done that?” Guinevere follows up. 

“You’ll see,” she teases. 

Emma takes questions from three more magazines and then excuses herself, meeting Tink to go over the checklist for the show. 

The first guests that include Liam Jones and Elsa Snow. Emma asks Tink to direct them to where they are and she helps her get through the guests. She laughs a little when some press mistake Liam and Elsa for celebrities, but they’re both good-natured about it, that they’re there to support Killian. 

“Mr. Jones, Elsa,” Emma calls out to them and they come over, hugging her, “So glad you two could make it,” 

“Thank you again for the tickets Ms. Swan,” he says, “We’ve never attended a fashion show before,” 

“I have front row seats reserved for you both and if you need anything, please let myself or Tink know,” she says, “Have a good time!” 

As Emma moves through the crowd, she bumps into Regina, dressed in a long sleek purple dress and black fur coat. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demands. 

“I had my connections, wanted to see what my competition is before I run my show in two days,” Regina muses, “We’re also doing the classic look but with a livelier, sexier, sultry tone; call it a nice throwback to a decade of decadence and high art,” 

“You don’t know a damn thing about decadence and high art, or what it means to play fair,” she snarls. 

Regina raises an eyebrow, “Come now Ms. Swan, it’s like you said over there, we’re all family here and like it or not, families need to be nice to each other for the kids,” she says. 

“Regina!” A voice calls and both women turn, facing Walsh, dressed in a handsome pin-striped dark gray suit and hat. He comes over and loops his arm through Regina’s. “Emma,” 

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, you always liked sloppy seconds,” Emma hisses and excuses herself, “I have a show to run,” 

~~

Around 4, almost all the guests and press have arrived, taking their seats in the showroom. Tink helps Liam and Elsa to their front row seats and offers to get anything for them. 

The show hasn’t started yet, but it will soon. 

Emma’s starting to feel a mild panic attack come on, knowing that both Regina and Walsh will be there, critiquing her designs and further adding salt to a festering wound that she hasn’t quite healed from. She feels her bones tense up and she shuts her eyes, blocking out the frenzied voices from the front until she hears only one calling to her. 

“Swan? Swan? Emma, love,” 

Emma opens her eyes and Killian’s standing in front of her, wearing his first set of clothes. 

“Emma, are you alright?” he asks. 

Emma grabs hold of his face and kisses him hard, pulling him close. Killian braces her back and holds her close. When she pulls away and looks at him, he gently touches her cheeks and smiles. 

“What was that about?” 

“Regina and Walsh are out there,” she says finally, “Apparently, they’re open about their affair, dangling their dalliance in front of me...I know I’m supposed to be focused on you and your debut, but this is a wound that never quite healed,” 

Killian kisses her cheek. “I’m sorry Emma,” he says, “We can skip the afterparty later if you like, so you don’t have to see them,” 

“No,” she says defiantly, “This is your debut and you deserve to be able to celebrate it. Your brother and Elsa are here, and they’re as happy and proud of you as I am. I don’t want Regina and Walsh to take this moment away from you. You deserve this,” 

Killian kisses her again and then Emma begins to step away as Tink reminds her that the show is almost ready to start. 

“Remember Killian, you’re my star, the brightest one in my army of models and you shine for me,” she tells him before rushing off to start the show. 

He smiles. “You’re my star, Swan and I love you too,” he whispers. 

~~

Emma quickly fixes her makeup and checks her hair before making her appearance out front to an excited crowd of guests, press and friends. She walks to the front of the catwalk and sees Liam and Elsa, but also Henry and Violet seated with them. She doesn’t see Walsh and Regina anywhere, and she’s thankful, thinking that they have cheap nosebleed seats somewhere. 

“Welcome friends, guests, press for the opening of New York’s 2018 spring fashion week!” she announces enthusiastically, “ _The Jeweled Swan_ is honored to be the first show of the season, and I am personally excited to introduce you to our new lead model who will be making his fashion show debut shortly. My design team has worked tirelessly to bring you this brand new collection and I hope everyone sees something that they like,” 

“The show’s theme is ‘bringing back the classics,’ and I feel that our line does exactly that. Please, sit back, relax and everyone enjoy the show!” 

As soon as Emma walks away, the lights go down, the music starts playing and the blue lights highlight the cat work with hot pink spotlights following the first model as he comes down. He stops at the front, takes various poses for the camera and walks back, and the cycle continues. 

Backstage, Jefferson directs the model to change into his new outfit and get ready for the next set. Each model set has ten designs, for a total of 30 designs, plus of course, the showstopper at the end. All the changes and walks are timed for proficiency as everything has to appear as seamless as possible. 

After the first set of models finish, Emma comes out again to introduce the second set. “As you can see from the first set, we were going for a modern chic look with a flare. This next set borders even closer to the classics with rich, modern colors,” she says, “You’ll also get to meet our new model, Mr. Killian Jones. Please be kind to him,” 

Emma steps aside and goes backstage again as the first model comes out. Killian's sixth in line, Emma comes up to him and kisses him, tugging on his collar. “Good luck out ther tiger,” she breathes, “You’re going to be fine,” 

“You seem to be doing better,” 

“I am, thanks to your pep talk earlier,” she says and wants to whisper that she loves him too but now really isn’t the time or place so she kisses his cheek instead, “We’ll have a special celebration tonight, just the two of us in that suite I reserved,” 

“I look forward to it love,” 

“This Swan’s feathers need to be thoroughly washed,” she teases. 

“Aye,” 

Emma giggles and backs away as he takes his place in line. Two models are ahead of him, and then once they’re finished, it’s his turn. His debut for the world. When they finish their rotation, Killian inhales slowly and makes his entrance onto the runway. 

He follows the pink spotlight as it trails him and he stops at the front, posing as directed and breaths slowly as flashes from different cameras capture him. He spares a glance downwards and sees Liam and Elsa sitting in front of him along with Henry and he smiles candidly, happy to see them. He angles his body to the side, giving the other side of the room a nice view, and then he heads backstage. 

Once he’s behind the curtains, Emma excitedly pulls him into an embrace and kisses him. “You did good Jones, more than good, you shined,” she exclaims, “I am so proud of you!” 

Killian wants to get out of these clothes so badly and properly celebrate with her, but he has to change and get ready for another appearance. “I’m glad you were pleased Swan,” he says. 

She kisses him again and lets him go so he can prepare for his next appearance. 

Killian’s still in a little shock as he walks away, knowing that Liam and Elsa are there up front eases the tension. The second set is finished and now it’s the final round of the show. He starts out with the first change and comes back again for the middle change, becoming more comfortable with the runway and the press photographers. 

Before the showstopper, Emma comes out again and says a few words about what they’re about to see and introduce him one last time. As they pass each other backstage, Emma kisses him for luck. The showstopper is a long black leather coat with a blue and red vest and matching tightly fitted leather pants and ankle boots. He almost looks like a pirate, especially with a guyliner. 

When he gets to the front and poses, Killian removes the heavy long coat to better show off the vest, which has loose blue-dyed sleeves and a black shiny undershirt. He looks at Henry, Liam and Elsa and winks at them before turning and exiting as the rest of the models file out for the final curtain call. 

The room erupts into applause as they all make their turns around the runway and Killian stands at the back, inviting Emma to join him. She finally comes out and takes his hand, walking with her to the front. 

“This now concludes our spring fashion debut. If anyone has any follow-up questions, I will be available at the after party. Thank you for coming!” she says and looks at Killian, “And a very special thank you to my lead model Killian Jones for his special debut. This man is a fashion designer’s fantasy,” 

Killian grins and photographers go wild with pictures of them both. Emma waves to them, then ushers her models from the stage, letting most of them leave first and then she and Killian are the last to exit, holding hands. 

Regina watches the pair curiously, scrutinizing their moves and the closeness between them. “Something is up with those two,” she muses. 

Walsh shrugs, “If there is, there is,” he says. 

“I can’t let this debut overshadow mine, or take away from our time in Paris. I want dirt Walsh so I can bury Emma Swan for the last time and can take my rightful place as the queen of high-end male fashion. I’m going to destroy Ms. Swan, if it’s the last thing I do,” she seethes. 

tbc

  
  



	18. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The elevator ride upstairs is mostly quiet and boring listening to the dreaded elevator music but Killian can feel the tension in the air as he stands next to his swan. He has no idea what she has planned for him upstairs once they get to their room. 
> 
> Of course there will be sex and hope, lots of it, but what else is on her dirty mind? 

Killian doesn’t really know what to expect when he, Liam and Elsa arrive at their first fashion show after party. Henry unfortunately could not attend because of the prevalence of alcohol and Emma asked Will to pick him and Violet up and take them both home. 

There’s a long buffet table stretching across the room, a tower of champagne glasses, a chocolate fountain with strawberries on sticks, servers everywhere going around carrying trays of appetizers and a flood of projected colored lights and loud music. There seems to be a wet bar in every corner of the room too. 

There’s so many people, celebrity guests chatting with each other but the only person Killian’s looking for is a certain blond designer; then Liam taps his shoulder and points out Emma helping herself to some food. 

“Will you be okay if I..?” he starts. 

“Go, talk to her,” Liam encourages, “Elsa and I will be fine,” 

Elsa leans in and tells him, “We’ll find you later,” she promises. 

Killian thanks them both and walks over to Emma, placing his hands on her waist and snuggling her hair. 

“Killian,” she moans, easing his hands off her for a moment, “What did I say about  _ pda _ ?” 

“I know, not yet, but my skin is crawling with electricity,” he says, “I’ve been thinking about what you teased earlier and was wondering if you would be open to leaving this party early and getting our celebration started upstairs?” 

Emma blushes bright red. “Later,” she says, “I still have a job to do, cozy up to some editor in chief and get them to write smashing reviews of our debut,” 

“I thought most of them would do that anyway,” 

“They will, but it’s always good to double-back and make sure,” she reasons, “Since you found me, maybe you want to join me for your first set of after-party interviews ?” 

He sighs, “I think I’d rather eat first. I didn’t really have a chance to have lunch before coming here this morning,” he says, “I might eat up this entire table,” 

Emma giggles, “Go ahead. You deserve it,” she says, “I’ll start making the press rounds. Find me later?” 

Killian smiles, watching her leave and starts chatting up her first magazine editor. 

~~

Walsh absently watches the glamour unfold before him, drinking some red wine and snacking on some cheese crackers. Regina went off somewhere and left him alone, so he waits, not really noticing the other Mills’ sister watching him. Zelena walks over wearing a sparkly tight green dress and rubs up against him. 

“Zelena, what are you doing?” he retorts. 

“Just trying to spice things up, darling, you look rather bored,” she notes, “Where’s my lovely sister gone off too?” 

Walsh sighs. “She said that she was looking into something and would be back soon,” he says. 

“Hmm,” Zelena muses, “A shame that she left her monkey boy toy behind, or maybe not,” 

“What do you mean?” 

Zelena shrugs, taking a sip of her bubbly wine. “I know my sister and she’s not the clingy type, which is why it surprised me after she humiliated the Swan that she kept you around. You already served your purpose a long time ago,” she notes. 

“She promised me that she would help break me into the fashion field,” 

“Did she? How’s that going for you so far? Got any interviews lately?” 

Walsh rolls his eyes and tries to ignore her. 

“She has lovers you know,” Zelena continues, “You’re not the only monkey currently inhabiting her bed. My sister is notorious for seducing men and getting them to do her bidding, it’s like she takes their hearts and keeps them as souvenirs. I, on the other hand, am a one woman kind of girl and I have assets my dear little sister doesn’t,” 

Walsh sighs, turns and looks at her. “Are you trying to flirt with me Zelena?” 

“Why would I need to be flirty when I know that you’re already turned on?” she counters, touching his chest, “I also know that you have no emotional connection to my sister and the only reason you’re with her is because the one woman you do want, loathes you with every fiber of her being. But that blond Swan isn’t the only one who can offer you the kind of companionship you secretly desire Walsh. I can give you what you want,” 

“As tempting as that is Zelena, my bed’s already warm,” 

Zelena comes closer and pulls him hard. “I know dear, but my bed’s hotter and infinitely comfortable, but if you want to keep playing the role as the wizard of lies, that’s your problem. I know a better way to spend your time and I happen to have reserved a room upstairs with a single bed, 12A, if you’re interested,” she teases, kisses his check, slaps his ass and leaves him behind. 

Walsh finishes his flute of sparkling wine and then picks up another as a waitress passes by, trying to ignore his hardened arousal. 

For about twenty minutes and then he searches for Zelena. 

Regina’s whims be damned. 

~~

Killian eats his fill of food and begins indulging in dessert, carefully reading the different slices of cakes available. The last time he had some alcohol, cheesecake and coffee, he ended up with a miserable, aching hangover and he has every intention of enjoying the evening. Liam and Elsa come over and congratulate him. 

“Well done little brother,” Liam says, grabbing another plate of food. “You talked to Emma?” 

“Aye, she’s making the press rounds. I might join her later to answer some questions,” he says, “You and Elsa having a good time?” 

Liam nods to Elsa, who’s helping herself with more chocolate desserts, eating almost everything in sight. “Elsa love, just be careful of some of these desserts. They might have alcohol in them,” Liam notes. 

“I know there's no need to worry about honey,” she says, waving Liam away. 

“You know Killian, if your journalism career doesn’t take off, I think you can continue doing this for a living,” Liam reminds him, “You were a natural out there on that runway. You owned the stage little brother,” 

Killian blushes, eating some finger food. “I still prefer to be writing, but I liked it, I like the attention and I think the best part was seeing Emma smile, seeing her happy and so proud. I love her so much,” he muses. 

“You love her?” Liam asks excitedly, “Truly?” 

“Aye but I think it’s too soon in our relationship for me to admit something like that to her. She still hasn’t gotten over the fallout from her relationship with Walsh,” 

“But do you really love her? Killian, that’s fantastic. I haven’t heard you speak that way about a woman since what happened with Milah,” Liam continues, “I’m happy for you brother,” 

Killian looks over at Emma, speaking to a different editor. She notices him looking at her and she smiles at him. “I just hope one day she can admit the same thing to me,” he says. 

~~

Regina Mills is on a mission to destroy and that starts with hanging out in the hotel lobby and keeping a close eye on Ms. Swan leaving the fashion show after party. 

If her instincts are correct, then she most likely will not be leaving by herself, she’ll have someone with her; perhaps, even her new lead model. If that’s the case, she needs to catch them in the act and give the story to her tabloid contacts and get him to write something damaging. Sidney will do anything she wants anyway, it won’t take much convincing. 

Regina waits. 

And waits. 

Waits some more, and after watching a few party goers leave (that are not Ms. Swan), Regina is starting to get annoyed that she might leave tonight empty-handed. Her company needs a good comeback and a chance to shine that she is desperate for something that will boost the media’s interest and take down her rival. 

She starts to head back into the party and then goes over to the concierge. “Excuse me, but does Ms. Swan have a reserved room here?” she asks bluntly. 

The man behind the counter looks pointedly at him. “Are you her guest?” he asks. 

“No,” 

“Then I’m not at liberty to say if she has a room here or not,” the man says. 

“Alright,” Regina concedes and looks at her purse for money, a nice $50 dollar bill, “Does she have a room again?” 

The man slides the $50 back over to Regina. “Are you trying to insult me? Read the rules, ma’am. All guests who reserve rooms are entitled to privacy and the hotel is not obligated to give out any information to outsiders who are not guests of the hotel,” he says. 

“What if I wanted a reservation now?” 

“That would be impossible, since all the floors are booked. Fashion week tends to do that,” he says plainly. 

Regina takes back her money, grouchily stalks away and returns to the party, looking for Walsh. She had hoped to get some dirt on Ms. Swan and start ruining her life tonight. Now, she finds that she cannot even find her date who has disappeared from the room. She texts his cell, asking where the hell is he? 

Walsh is too busy enjoying wild monkey sex with Zelena in that room she reserved. His phone just sits on the small table beside the bed, vibrating repeatedly until it just falls off the table onto the floor. 

Downstairs, Regina is fuming. Her date isn’t answering her call and she is not allowed upstairs. 

“That damn monkey can find his own way home,” she says finally, taking one last drink and storming out of the party. 

Emma watches Regina storm out in a dramatic huff and grins happily. She finds Killian and whispers to him that the coast is clear and they can have their celebration upstairs now. She cautions him to wait a few minutes and then follow her, meeting by the elevator. 

Killian helps himself to another drink as Emma walks away from him, exiting the party. Liam and Elsa come by before he’s supposed to leave. 

“We’re on our way out brother, but you stay and enjoy yourself,” Liam says, winking at him before taking Elsa’s arm and walking out together. 

Killian leaves the party and finds Emma by the elevator. She smiles when she sees him and kisses him softly. “Our room is upstairs on the eleventh floor,” she says, “Ready to celebrate your debut, Killian?” 

“I look forward to it very much,” he says as the elevator arrives and they walk inside. 

~~

The elevator ride upstairs is mostly quiet and boring listening to the dreaded elevator music but Killian can feel the tension in the air as he stands next to his swan. He has no idea what she has planned for him upstairs once they get to their room. 

Of course there will be sex and hope, lots of it, but what else is on her dirty mind? 

They finally arrive and he lets Emma lead them to their room. The hotel doesn’t use those plastic cards keys but actual metal keys. After a few tries of figuring out the lock, Emma opens up the room. Emma starts changing out of her gown and asks Killian to help her, which he happily obliges. As he slowly starts removing the dress, Killian kisses the first exposed skin that he sees. 

“Hmm,” she giggles. 

He smiles and kisses her some more and starts swaying with her a little. 

“What are you doing?” she asks. 

“I never got to dance with you tonight,” he reminds her and turns her around, placing his arm around her back and his other hand in hers. “You look so lovely Swan,” 

She looks down at herself and then at him. She’s not even wearing her dress anymore but standing in her panty hose, bra and underwear. “Killian, I don’t have my dress,” she notes. 

“You don’t have to be wearing a dress to enjoy a dance,” he teases, pulling her closer, “Besides, I'd rather fancy you like this.” 

Emma blushes red and rests her head on his chest. “Gotta admit, this is very nice,” she says. 

“I’m sorry that I was harsh with you the other day,” he says, “I was just...stressed because of the upcoming show. I shouldn’t have taken that out on you, you didn’t deserve it,” 

“No, I didn’t but you weren’t entirely wrong about what you said either. I know I have  _ issues  _ and it’s unfair to you that those issues become your problem, but I promise that I am working through them. It’s just going to take time but I will get there Killian. I need you to be patient,” 

“I know,” he says and kisses her arm, “How about you let me work through some of those issues, starting with your feelings for Walsh,” 

“Killian…” 

He hushes her gently. “I’m not angry Swan and don’t take what I’m about to ask you the wrong way, but are you still in love with him?” he asks. 

“No,” she says bluntly, “It’s a trust issue. There have been people in my life who have let me down one way or another, and what happened with Walsh, it was another let down. I think that’s what hurts more than anything else,” 

“So you don’t have lingering feelings for him?” 

Emma kisses him. “No,” she says, “In fact, there is someone new in my life I might have strong feelings for...a certain blue-eyed, roguishly handsome new model that has a spanking hot body,” 

Killian smirks. “You think you might have feelings for this person? What are those?” 

“Baby steps Killian,” she says, pressing a kiss to his lips, “We’ll get there I promise when I’m ready,” 

“Aye,” he agrees, feeling somewhat disappointed, but he also knows not to push Emma into something she’s not ready for. 

“Tonight, I have something very special for you Killian Jones,” Emma starts, going over to the large closet in the room and removing a white box, “A little show of our own, a sort of gift for enduring weeks of training and preparing for your official debut,” 

“Whatever is in that box is for me?” 

“ _ For you _ and  _ only you _ ,” she says, “Now lay down, get comfortable and I will be right back.” 

“Get comfortable as in, do you need me to be naked for this?” he wonders. 

Emma bites her lip, quirking an eyebrow. “You could, but I want your full attention and you’ll see why after I change,” she teases. 

He watches Emma skip into the bathroom carrying, says a mysterious white box and closes the door behind her, leaving him to his devices and preparing for whatever it is she has in mind for him. Killian strips all his clothes and gets into bed, leaning back on the pillow and letting the blanket cover his waist. He waits for about five minutes and then calls out to Emma if she needs help. 

“I’ll be out in a minute!” she calls back, “Just stay right there,” 

Emma comes out of the bathroom a moment later, wearing a blue lace corset lingerie and loose with a black skirt. She comes over to the foot of the bed and spins a little. “What do you think?” she asks. 

“I like the blue,” he smiles, “Why don’t you come here Swan and I can further inspect---?” 

“There’s a reason I’m wearing this,” she interrupts him and stands away from the bed, pulling up a chair and sets it backwards, straddling it. 

She practiced this routine for weeks, watching YouTube videos and getting used to the moves and adding some of her own, and she could only do this at home in her bedroom with a quiet recording of the Pussycat Dolls’ “Don't Cha”; which is also set to play on her iPhone. 

She turns on the music from her iPhone and flips her hair, stands abruptly from the chair and starts walking along in wide strides, occasionally bending her knees and swaying her hips standing up again. 

Emma curves her hips to one side and then the other, keeping in time with the music and flips her a couple times before hiding herself behind the chair and turning herself away, unzipping the back of the corset and tossing it to the floor. 

It looks like she's topless and it makes Killian hard and then Emma removes herself from the chair and he sees sparkling tassels covering her nipples. 

She comes around the chair and gives her upper body a good belly dance shake before coming over to the bed and laying on top, raising her legs high and doing splits in the air, then lowers her legs and starts loosening her skirt. 

Once her skirt is gone, he sees her bum wearing a barely there black thong. Emma lays back on the bed, looking upside at him as her hands drift down to her thong and then she raises her body and stands from the bed, swaying her hips in circles and cupping her shiny breasts. 

She turns abruptly, removing the tassels and then faces Killian, shaking them in front of him as the song ends. 

Killian lays there, completely in awe of the performance, and wound up himself. He stands from the bed and comes over to her, bracing her back and kisses her. 

“That was bloody amazing lass,” he cries, “You have learned that entire routine for me?” 

Emma smiles at him coyly. “I wanted to give you a preview of what to expect when we're in Paris,” she teases.

“I don't really know what you're talking about, but all I know right now is that you are one hell of a woman, Emma Swan, and I am very fortunate that I get to see this part of you,” he reasons, “Come to bed now love,”

Emma giggles and follows him to bed, stripping off her black leather panties. “The last time we were in a position like this, you were hogging the blankets,” she notes.

“Who says we need blankets this time and why would I want to cover up that beautiful and graceful body of yours?” he counters, shoving away the blankets.

Emma blushes bright red and kisses her. “No need to feel embarrassed or self-conscious love,” Killian continues, “especially since I have a newfound appreciation of your curves,”

She giggles again and fixes her hair. “I love that sound too,” he adds, “you’re a bloody vixen.”

Emma pulls him into a passionate embrace, straddling his waist and inching close to his penis - and god, he feels so hot. Emma gently rubs herself against him and moans. Killian thrusts his hips against her, wanting so badly to feel her inside, but Emma just lays there teasing him. She even starts teasing herself.

“Bloody hell Emma,” he screams, “I want to fuck you,”

Emma stops what she's doing and slides effortlessly onto his cock. Both of them sigh happily upon contact, then Emma starts moving her hips; slow at first and then quickly until she's panting and they can hear the slap of skin against skin. Emma starts to feel her orgasm first and rocks harder against him, feeling the intensity continually build until it consumes her body. 

Killian starts to feel his at the last minute as he and Emma climax at the same time and she collapses on top of him. He lets her lay there for a moment and then gently nudges her back, and Emma picks up her head to look at him and kisses her. 

“You are my shining star lass,” he says, “and beautiful Swan,” 

Emma smiles and kisses him before resting her head on his chest again. 

“And I love you,” he whispers into her hair. 

Emma hears the words and wants to tell them back, but she’s still too scared. She’s not ready yet. 

“You’ve always been mine,” she says back before falling asleep. 

tbc


	19. love hurts/love is good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma starts to leave, but Killian holds onto her wrist, still not convinced that she’s just going out for a run. There’s something she’s hiding. “Trust remember, Emma? You promised to be honest with me,” he reminds her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We finally learn a little more about Emma's background and why she has the walls that she does.

Killian wakes, rubbing his forehead and turns over, resting his arm over where Emma should be sleeping beside him but finds her spot empty. “Bloody hell,” he breaths and sits up abruptly, looking around the room, and he spots her fixing her hair and makeup, already dressed in a spare change of clothes. He thought that she would sleep in and then they would catch breakfast later. 

“You’re up early,” he notes. 

Emma looks up at him. “Oh yeah,” she starts, “I wanted to have a quick run through Central Park and clear my head. The weather’s been unusually warm since February started and I wanted to take advantage of it while I have some free time,” 

“Aye,” he says and gets up from the bed, putting on his pants, “I can join you,” 

“Um, you don't have to do that,” she says, “I won’t be that long. When I come back, we can have brunch together,” 

Killian comes over and holds out his hand, helping her to stand. “What’s going on Swan?” he queries. 

“Nothing,” she continues and kisses him, “Enjoy the room’s luxuries while I’m out,” 

Emma starts to leave, but Killian holds onto her wrist, still not convinced that she’s just going out for a run. There’s something she’s hiding. “Trust remember, Emma? You promised to be honest with me,” he reminds her. 

Emma sighs and sits down again, unsure how to form into words what she’s feeling. It’s about what he told her last night before he fell asleep beside her, those three words. Their relationship up to this point has been perfect in her world. She can be who she wants to be with him and he makes her feel better but  _ love?  _

Love is messy, crazy and love, from what Emma Swan has learned from the past, hurts. Love has always hurt her. 

“Swan please?” he pleads with her again. 

“This is -- what we have Killian, it’s good,  _ really good,  _ and I don’t see a reason to complicate things,” she starts. 

“Why is what we have complicated all of a sudden?” he wonders. 

“You know my background. You know where I come from, and it isn’t a good place. I struggled a lot and fought hard to make something of myself,” she says, “No matter what stage I was at in my life, love has never been easy for me,” 

He sighs. “Aye, Walsh slept with Regina, and that experience burned you. I understand that,” he says. 

“It wasn’t just Walsh,” she continues, “When I first came to New York, I was a young kid. I didn’t have any serious dreams or aspirations, I just needed to survive and then I met Henry’s father. He was a runaway and an orphan like me. He was also older than me and he took me in, this young, naive kid and I thought the way he treated me, this is what it felt like to be loved. I didn’t know what love felt like before,” 

Killian sits on the edge of the bed across from her. 

“Then one night in the backseat of a yellow bug that we broke into, I kissed him, he kissed me and I thought that’s all that would happen between us and then he became more forceful,” she says. 

“I must have blacked out when it happened because I don’t remember him leaving. When I came to, cops were there and I tried to tell them that a serious crime had happened, I had been violated, but the only crime they paid attention to was that I broke into a stolen car. I was booked and sent to juve. A few weeks later, I found out that I was pregnant with Henry and I was mortified that his was how I was going to bring life into this world, through rape. I went to counseling, talked to psychiatrists...they all tried to convince me that I could overcome it and eventually, with time, I decided to fight back and raise my son. I wanted a better life for Henry, better than what Neal left me,” 

“I never found him, he never wanted to be found. I loved him and I thought he loved me, but all he was, was a predator,” she reasons, “I closed myself off from love for a while, (aside from Henry); that is, until Walsh and then he betrayed me with Regina. You see Killian, love only brings me pain,” 

“That’s why you left his name blank on Henry’s birth certificate,” he realizes. 

“I never knew his last name, and anyway, he doesn’t get to have a part of Henry’s life after what he did to me,” she reasons. 

Killian comes over and kneels before her. “We all have baggage Swan, love being one of them, but love isn’t something you should be afraid of Emma. Love doesn’t have to hurt, it can give you hope for something better,” he reminds her. 

Emma starts crying and he gently rubs them away. “I understand why you’re not ready to say it back and it’s okay, love. But I promise you Emma, love is something you don’t have to be afraid of with me,” he assures her. 

“I have a hard time dealing with my emotions, I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” she laughs. 

“I have,” he says. 

“Henry’s asked about his father over the years, but I never really knew what to tell him. Looking back, I barely knew who Neal was,” she recalls, “After awhile, he just stopped asking and I haven’t spoken to anyone about what happened,” 

“I’m glad that you told me Swan,” 

Emma leans down and kisses him. “I promise not to let things fester when there’s something bothering me,” she says. 

He kisses her hands and smiles. “Did you still want to go on that run?” he asks. 

“I’m done running,” she says and holds out her arms. 

Killian grabs hold and pulls her into an embrace as Emma plants kisses all over his face. Emma tugs at his jeans and pulls him towards the bed, falling onto it. She giggles happily and Killian looks at her. He scoots over, fixes her hair and kisses her. “This is good, isn’t it Swan?” he asks. 

“Yeah, it is,” she whispers. 

“Then let’s enjoy what’s good about what we have and focus on now," Killian continues, kissing her again, “Aye?” 

“Yes,” she agrees, kissing and wanting him. But they’re both interrupted by each other’s hungry growling stomachs. “Room service?” 

“Room service,” 

Emma gets up, brings the phone over to the bed and dials for room service. While she’s waiting, Killian starts kissing her neck. When the phone finally connects and someone answers, Killian’s still busy kissing her seductively and making her wet. 

“Yes, concierge. This is 13-B, I’d like to order some breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon…” 

“Eggs in a basket for me,” Killian whispers. 

“Eggs in a basket, two pots of coffee and sausage,” she says. 

Killian sits up, bringing her closer to him and hugs her tight, unzipping her pants and slipping a hand beneath her underwear where he knows that she’s already wet. A breath hitches in Emma’s throat. “Make my eggs extra scrambled with lots of cheddar cheese. Thanks,” 

Emma hangs up, not waiting for confirmation and wants to turn around and look at him, but Killian holds her still, stroking her gently. 

She’s so warm and wet. 

Killian helps remove her pants, making sure she’s seated comfortably and continues fondling her. Emma starts moving her body in time with his strokes, feeling that friction begins to turn into a shooting star. Emma closes her eyes, turns her head and kisses him, feeling the first orgasm rattling her, following quickly with another. 

When she opens her eyes and looks at Killian, he smiles at her and takes his hand away. Emma blushes and Killian kisses her. 

“Good morning,” he says. 

“Good morning,” she giggles. 

~~ 

Breakfast arrives twenty minutes later when Emma and Killian are trying to clean up. Trying because they can’t seem to keep their hands off of each other. If they were stuck in a place together with no hope for escape, instead of calling for help, they would probably have sex with each other until they can’t anymore. That’s what this feels like for Emma. 

It could be love too, this wanting him all the time and admitting what happened with Neal is a first step towards accepting love for Killian, but Emma knows, it’s going to take something  _ really big _ for her to say those three words again one day. 

After successfully dressing without undressing, they pick up their food and enjoy breakfast together. 

“So eggs in a basket are eggs cooked into a hole of an English muffin,” she notes, studying his order, “Why not just have an English muffin egg sandwich instead?” 

He makes a face for her. “I don’t tease you about what you call football, which, by the way, you don't even use your feet to kick the ball,” 

“Fair enough,” she laughs, “Except football and breakfast food are two different things. It’s not a fair comparison,” 

Killian shrugs. “No, it isn’t but just enjoy your food and I’ll enjoy mine,” he says. 

~~

After breakfast, Emma goes down to the lobby to extend their stay a little longer and while she’s waiting in line, she bumps into Zelena Mills. 

“Oh, hello dear Swan,” she says, “Didn’t know you spent the night here after the party. Smashing show by the way and your lead model, he’s got a nice bod on him,” 

Emma rolls her eyes, ignoring her. 

“Extending your room reservation?” she asks. 

“That is none of your business Zelena,” Emma retorts and notices Walsh walking towards them, “Oh my god!” 

He comes over and hugs Zelena’s waist. 

“Banging both Mills’ sister, Walsh. Well, you are officially a man whore now. Be sure to have a really good shower before you leave, so Regina won’t castrate you once you return to her bed,” Emma snaps. 

Walsh glares at her and kisses Zelena. “You used to enjoy the wild monkey Emma,” he teases. 

Emma’s fuming now turns to him calmly. “I did and then I moved up in the world and you’re still putting your balls in places where you’re never going to go anywhere. Enjoy your afternoon Walsh,” she says, skipping away. 

Once Emma’s safely inside the elevator, she grins happily, feeling that she really is starting to move on from past pains and not let them consume her anymore. She’s moving on because of Killian. 

Maybe love doesn't hurt. 

~~

Emma and Killian won’t have to check out from the hotel until tomorrow but today, she wants to spend time with her lover, seeing the sights of New York. 

The weather is still agreeable in early February, and although she’s lived in New York for most of her adult life, she’s never really appreciated the city for what it is. 

Emma’s only known New York in phases; when she arrived at her lowest, slowly rising and then rising even further. 

Henry, on the other hand, loves living in New York and oftentimes gets spoiled by what he can see and has access to. Emma doesn’t really know what she wants to see first, so Killian recommends opening up a map and pointing to a spot and there’s where they’ll go. 

Killian grins as he notices the spot his Swan chose for their New York excursion. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

The hotel they’re at is walking distance to Met through Central Park. When they arrive at the steps of the Met, there’s a school group just entering the museum and the teacher gets passes for all of them. While they’re waiting, Emma picks up a museum guide to see what’s currently showing. 

The exhibit on Rodin just closed, but the Michelangelo exhibit is still available to see, bamboo art that is interesting, modern, Renaissance art and other things. The school group finally leaves, and Emma and Killian go to the counter for their passes, or rather pins. 

“Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Is this your first visit with us?” the old lady asks. 

“Yes,” Emma says and then looks at Killian, “Have you been here before?”

“Nope,” he says. 

“But we both live in New York,” Emma continues. 

The lady smiles and picks out two pins for them. “Keep these visible, and if you wish to make a donation, we always encourage that. Dominations are up to you and enjoy your visit,” she says. 

Emma thanks the lady and Killian escorts her up the stairs to the first gallery. “So Swan, what are we seeing first?” he asks. 

“I don’t know. I’d like to see the Michelangelo exhibit, but we can start here first,” she says. 

As they walk around the gallery, the designer Emma starts thinking about the gallery space itself and how everything is laid out. 

She doesn’t go to many galleries, but the Met, it’s always had this classic look to it, which she adores. There’s so much space everywhere and suddenly she starts imagining her models posing alongside some of the works of art that she’s seeing. Emma takes out her iPhone and typing up notes for herself to present to Jefferson once she’s back in the office. 

Killian catches her texting, comes over and kisses her neck, trying to get a look at what she’s texting. 

“What are you writing?” he asks. 

“Notes for a cool photoshoot, maybe something we can do later in the spring,” she says, “Some of the fashion shoots we’ve done lately, the pictures come out a little too stale for my taste and we haven’t done an on-site location shoot in a long time,” 

“It costs money to reserve a venue,” he reasons, “and Regina,” 

“Yeah, that’s why,” she agrees. 

He waits for her to finish typing her notes and takes her hand once she puts her phone away and they continue walking through the gallery. On the way out, Emma finds a local map and follow the stairs to the Michelangelo exhibit. 

Once they arrive at the gallery, Emma takes her time, observing and looking at each sketch. 

Most paintings before the medieval period are flat and don’t have a lot of dimensions, or even character, but you can see a clear shift when it comes to the masters, like Michelangelo. There’s more expression in many of his sketches. Each drawing tells a story. 

It makes Emma more excited, thinking about the possibilities for that spring photoshoot. They peruse the gallery some more and then break for lunch. Emma asks one of the guards where they can eat and he recommends the roof garden bar, especially since the weather is nice out. 

The pair get lost a few times trying to find their way but eventually, they find their way to the roof garden. They’re seated right away, and the views of the New York and Manhattan skyline is breathtaking. 

Emma puts on her big sunglasses, looking over the menu. There’s overpriced sandwiches, soups and salads. Killian knows exactly what he wants, drooling over the meat. 

A waitress comes over with a pad and pencil, ready to take their order. Emma goes first. They did have a heavy breakfast and would prefer something light, so she orders a turkey club sandwich, clam chowder and a mimosa. The waitress turns to Killian and he grins stupidly. 

“Mushroom cheeseburger classic, medium well with French fries and a coke,” he says happily, like a kid. 

The waitress takes down the order and leaves it. Emma laughs and rolls her eyes. 

“Jefferson will not be happy with you,” she notes. 

“I survived your Fashion Week debut, and I deserve to be able to treat myself,” he reasons. 

The waitress comes back with Emma’s mimosa, a bowl of bread and water, then starts to leave them but then stops and looks at Emma. “You’re her, aren’t you?” she asks. 

“Sorry?” 

“Emma Swan, president of  _ The Jeweled Swan _ ,” the waitress continues, “Some of my friends catered to your fashion show last night. Congratulations on the showing,” 

Emma removes her sunglasses and smiles at her. “Thank you. What’s your name?” 

“Melanie,” she says and looks at Killian, “And you, you’re the new guy! You’re even more gorgeous up close,” 

Killian blushes and looks at Emma. “Listen Melanie,” Emma starts, “It’s great that you’re a fan, but we would appreciate it if you kept this on the down low for lunch. You know how the paps how are,” 

“Sure, absolutely Ms. Swan,” she says, “Enjoy your lunch you two! I’ll go check on your order right now,” 

Once she’s gone, Emma looks over at Killian uneasily and he kisses her hand. “No need to worry darling, you can trust the girl,” he assures her. 

“I hope so. I really don’t want to cut things short if the paps show up,” she whines. 

Killian continues rubbing her wrists and then pulls away once their lunch arrives. 

Emma starts eating and then looks up at Killian gazes at his hamburger. “If you start having eye sex with your hamburger Killian, you’re going to make me very jealous,” she teases him. 

He winks at her before taking a bite and moaning. “That is a burger,” 

~~

Emma pays for lunch and thankfully, they are able to subtly leave without someone asking for their autograph. Emma and Killian make it back downstairs to the ground floor and cut through Central Park again, the warm weather still holding up. Emma puts on her large sunglasses again, putting her arm through Killian’s as they walk along one of the pedestrian paths. 

They stop in front of a large tree and sit down on the grass. 

Today has been... _ normal _ . 

Most days, Emma Swan is in a rush and doesn’t take the time to appreciate what’s around her, but today, she feels like she’s been able to breathe for the first time. 

“Today has been so different from office life,” she reasons. 

Killian looks at her. “Is that good or bad?”

“Good,” she muses, “ _ All good _ ,” 

Around 4, they start heading back to the hotel and once they get back to the room, Emma whispers to him that she’s going to turn on the jacuzzi and is welcome to join her. 

Killian tells her that he’ll be inside a bit and she goes to the bathroom to get it started. He waits on the bed until he hears the water stop running and then comes into the bathroom as Emma’s stripping her clothes. He comes over and kisses her breasts, eliciting a hiss. 

Killian turns Emma around, looks at her naked body and kisses her. He pulls her closer, wrapping his hands around her, but she feels warm. 

“Killian,” she says, stepping away and then getting into the jacuzzi tub. 

He groans and then starts stripping, removing his shirt first and then pants, then lastly his boxers. Emma presses a button on the side and the water starts pulsating beneath her. 

“Are you having fun without me Swan?”

Emma grins, “Not yet,”

Killian steps into the Jacuzzi and Emma makes space for him so he can sit. They struggle for a few minutes to figure out the logistics and then Emma tells him to just lay on top of her. Killian rests his body on his lover, feeling the warm jets beneath him. Emma can feel them too and it makes her aroused. 

“Hmmm,” she moans lazily. 

Killian kisses her, pulling her to sit up on his lap. Emma closes her eyes, feeling the jets mess with her arousal.

“Killian, I need…” she pleas, her body shaking.

He knows what she needs and hugs her closer in his lap until she sinks onto his cock. Emma still feels shaky and holds onto her, bracing her back as he comes into her repeatedly. She closes her eyes and buries her face in his shoulder, feeling the intensity of each thrust, plus the water jets striking her in a rhythmic pattern.

Killian feels her breathing becomes shallow, but her body's still a bit shaky; he continues his ministrations until Emma feels a ripple flow to her body, followed by another.

And then a third, that is Killian’s orgasm. Now he feels weak. They cling to each other, Emma resting her head on his shoulder and breathing shallowly. Killian eventually picks up his head and looks at her. 

“Good?”

She smiles, “ _ Very good _ ,” 

tbc


	20. à Paris, mon amour (to Paris, my love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Want to play a little game?’ he asks. 
> 
> Emma shakes her head before responding. ‘What kind of game?’ 

Emma and Killian check out from the hotel early the following morning and return to their respective homes. They both need to finish packing for their romantic getaway trip to Paris and work out the finer details of their departure. Emma decides that they shouldn’t be seen together before their flights leaving JFK. They’ll still meet up before boarding the plane but won’t interact with each other at all until then. 

Most of the general public (the media) still look at her as Killian’s boss and nothing else and that’s safe for now. After Emma finalizes her packing, she calls Tink’s to chat about work. 

“Shouldn’t you be preparing for your trip?” her first assistant asks. 

“I finished packing and wanted to check in with you and see if you have everything you need for the Paris show,” Emma reasons, resting on her bed. “Are you good?”

“My flight leaves after yours and I’ll be arriving in Paris the next day. The location is good, Jefferson's coming with me on the flight, the clothes are still beautiful...Emma, everything is under control,” Tink says, “You have nothing to worry about,” 

Emma sighs. “In this business Tink, there’s always something to worry about, but I’m happy that you’re handling it,” she says, “Do you need me to swing by the office?” 

Tink laughs. “What you should be doing is checking in with your boyfriend, lover or whatever you refer to him as and see if he needs your help packing,” she reasons. 

“I’m not seeing Killian until tomorrow at JFK when we board the flight,” 

“So no bootie call then before your flight,” Tink teases, “Because you sound awfully wound up to me,” 

Emma blushes red. “I am not wound up, I just want to make sure my baby is taken care of before I leave,” she says, “You’ve never MC’d a major fashion show Tink,” 

“And I’ve been your assistant for eleven years Emma,” Tink reminds her, “I learned everything about what to do from you. Look, I know that you’ve always been a workaholic, which is why I’m telling you this as a friend, you need to put down your iPhone, call Killian and get out all this tension and treat yourself,” 

Emma bites her lip, not wanting to follow her friends’ advice but dammit, Tink’s right. She needs to release all this energy, and there’s only one way to do that. “Okay, I’m hanging up,” she concedes, ending the call. 

Emma opens up her favorite contacts and holds her thumb over Killian’s picture, hesitant to actually make the call. She gives in, though. 

“Hello darling,” he says. 

“Hi,” she says weakly, “How’s your packing going? I finished mine,” 

“Packing is just about done,” he reasons, “Did you want to meet for a coffee or something?” 

She bites her lips again, lying comfortably on her bed. “Are you alone?” she whispers. 

“Liam’s at work. He won’t be coming home until later, around 11:30,” he says, “Are you asking me if I’m free for a bootie call?” 

Emma groans and she can hear him laughing over the phone. “It wouldn’t be my first bootie call,” she starts, “‘Cause there was that time I stopped by your brother’s loft to see you. We do have an early flight tomorrow for Paris…” 

“Emma Swan, I would be happy to be of service to you,” he interrupts. 

“You don’t mind?” 

“Should I come to you, or do you want to come here?” he counters. 

“Henry’s actually staying at Will’s place. I didn’t want him to be here all alone...you could come here,” she offers. 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promises and hangs up. 

Emma sets her iPhone on her nightstand and removes her jeans and blouses, leaving only her strapless bra and panties. Emma stands, going to her dresser to check her makeup, flips her hair and fixes her curls, scrutinizing how she looks in the mirror. She tosses her bra as Killian rings the front door and quickly puts on a dark robe, letting him inside. 

He kisses her hello and she leads him upstairs to her bedroom, telling him to get comfortable in her bed. Killian unbuckles his pants, puts down his boxers and removes her shirt and Emma stands there, watching him get naked for her. She sees that his cock is already throbbing for her, and she removes her robe and panties, coming over to sit on his lap and kiss him. 

Killian holds her but firmly on his lap as she glides onto his cock and starts gyrating her hips against him. He helps her a little, thrusting his thighs in time with her, and soon they’re both pushing each other over the edge and moaning loudly. Killian cums first and god, he feels so sore but Emma is still banging him hard and soon she orgasms on top of him, crying his name. 

Emma rests her head on his shoulder and kisses his neck, whispering, “Oui mon amour," he smiles and kisses her. 

~~

As much as Emma wants Killian to stay longer, they really have to stick to their plan so there’s no suspicion that something is going on between them before they fly. After a quick nap and shower, Killian leaves and returns to the flat, leaving Emma to clean up herself and get an early rest before tomorrow’s flight. 

Emma double checks her passport, prints her flight information and checks her luggage to make sure she has everything she needs, but it also fits the FAA luggage regulation. 

She’s tempted to call Tink again, but she knows there’s no purpose in doing that, so she sets her alarm to wake early and gets ready for bed. 

~~

Emma’s alarm clock goes off at 6 a.m., she makes herself breakfast, eats and then quickly showers, dresses, calls a cab and is at JFK for 8:30. The ticket counter has already opened up, and there’s not really a line, she checks in her luggage, picks up her ticket and then finds a place to sit and call Killian. He picks and she smiles happily. 

“Good morning tiger,” she purrs, “Where are you?” 

“Just coming out of the bathroom. I arrived early and picked up my ticket and checked in my luggage. Are you in the terminal?” 

“Not yet, I just checked in, but I can still meet in the terminal. We’re going to the same place, Gate 20,” she reasons. 

“Aye,” he confirms, checking his ticket, “I’ll meet you there Swan,” 

Emma finds her way to the terminal and locates Killian picking out a seat. Their eyes lock and smile at each other, then Emma comes over discreetly and sits beside him. 

Boarding for the flight won’t start until 10:30 a.m., so they have a lot of time to wait. Emma takes a small nap but asks Killian to wake her if there’s any news regarding their flight. She naps until about 9:40 then wakes and goes to the bathroom. When she comes back, Killian goes to the bathroom and Emma checks to see if their flight is still on time. 

There’s no delay. Killian comes back from the bathroom and sits down, picking up his iPhone. 

Emma’s startled when she sees a text from him and opens it up. 

_ ‘Want to play a little game?’ _ he asks. 

Emma shakes her head before responding.  _ ‘What kind of game?’  _

He sends her a winking emoji and a grin. _ ‘The sexy kind, of course, but over texts,’ _ he teases,  _ ‘We have some time to spare before they start boarding,’  _

Emma starts blushing and pulls her thighs together, feeling herself already aroused and curious about what he has in mind.  _ ‘Okay,’ _ she concedes. 

_ ‘While I was in the washroom, I was thinking about your sweet lips curled around my cock,’  _ he starts, “ _ I like it when you’re down there; even better when you’re petting yourself while fucking me,’  _

Emma starts to feel her blood warm and clenches her legs tighter together.  _ ‘I haven’t touched myself around you, not during sex,’ _ she says. 

_ ‘No, you haven’t but I wish you would,’  _ he responds,  _ ‘I hope I get to see you one day touch yourself. I know you did that one time in the shower before our affair started. Remember, you told me that you did,’  _

_ ‘I remember,’ _ she types, checking the time before their flight. It’s around 10 a.m. now.  _ ‘Killian, they’ll be announcing the flight soon,’  _

_ ‘Will that be something that you do for me when we arrive in Paris, in our suite?’ _ he asks,  _ ‘I really want to see you do it,’  _

_ ‘What about jet lag?’ _ she counters. 

_ ‘I think sex might be able to help counter the effects of that,’  _ he reasons. 

The attendant at the desk announces that they will be boarding shortly, starting with of course business class. Emma texts to him that they need to end this game and get in line for their flight. Killian puts away his phone and picks up his things, getting in line for check-in as Emma stands behind him with her passport ready. 

Emma finds their seats and stores her carry-on luggage, helping Killian do the same once he finds her. They buckle up and she watches as he puts his iPhone in plane mode and she does the same. 

But God, she is soaking wet because of his texting earlier and has to wait until after takeoff to help relieve herself. The rest of the passengers board, stewardesses help put away luggage and Emma is internally screaming that she needs to run to the bathroom. 

Fortunately, passengers get on quickly, luggage is stored and they start taxing down the runway for takeoff. Killian’s sitting beside her, watching the safety video intently and not paying attention to the agony that she’s in. 

_ This is all his fault, too.  _

They finally lift off and start leveling out, and eventually, the seatbelt sign is turned off and Emma races to the nearest bathroom. 

There’s no line, thankfully, and she gets in, locks the door, unzips her pants, lowers them to the floor and dips a hand into her panties, stroking herself. Her heart is beating so hard beneath her breast that she positions her other hand against the wall, holding herself up as she fondles herself. 

She doesn’t need a drawn-out orgasm so she doesn’t bother stroking herself slowly but as fast as she can until her body caves and she orgasms hard. Emma stands there, breathing slowly, then fixes her panties and pants, turns and washes her hands with soap, making sure she looks okay and flushes the toilet before exiting. 

Emma comes back to her seat, buckles in and puts on her earbuds, turning on the in-flight entertainment. 

Killian glances at her wickedly and grins, then looks again at the tiny screen in front of him. 

~~ 

The flight is more than seven hours long, non-stop from New York’s JFK to Paris. 

Emma falls into a routine of watching movies, sleeping and going over their itinerary for Paris. Killian mostly sleeps, which gives her a chance to review what they are doing. He still has no idea what kind of activities she has planned (although there has to be time for sex and other foreplay), but what kinds of sights they might see. 

Emma’s done that on purpose. 

One, because she’s a control freak and two, she wants her choices of activity to throw him. 

When he wakes again to turn on a movie, Emma puts away the itinerary and turns on a movie as well. 

They still have three and a half hours of flight remaining. Emma picks a Marvel movie, and those are usually long enough to get through the remainder of the flight. She starts the film and immediately starts to feel drowsy and falls asleep. Killian does the same. 

~~

When their flight lands in Paris, it’s early morning, 7 a.m. local time and it takes another hour to get to their hotel. 

Killian’s surprised when they end up at a medium-sized hotel near the Eiffel Tower. 

They check in and go up to their suite, which has a private balcony terrace with a view of the tower, a large bathroom with twin washing sinks, a decently sized shower and one king-size bed for both their own mini fridge and kitchen. 

He stands on the balcony and there is an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower. Below him, there’s not much to see, just an alleyway and a narrow street. Killian walks back inside as Emma unloads her luggage and takes off her shoes. She can feel the jetlag starting to kick in. 

“This place is amazing love,” he compliments. 

“There’s a bakery not far away, too, and we can get some pastries before going out anywhere and they offer a complimentary breakfast,” she notes. 

Killian lays down on the bed. The pillows are so soft. “Bloody hell,” he breaths, “I feel like I’m in heaven,” 

Emma giggles, lays down too and faces him. “I know that this is a king-sized bed, but this suite also has a pullout bed,” she adds. 

“I am not sleeping on a pullout bed,” 

“Of course you’re not,” she agrees, “But for appearance purposes, I figured it would be a safe feature to have,” 

Killian nods and kisses her. Emma scoots closer to him, brings his arm around her so he’s touching her ass and falls asleep in his arms. Killian does the same, feeling jet lag beginning to kick in. 

~~

The pair of them sleep for about four hours. Emma wakes first, stretches and goes to the bathroom to pee, then turns on the shower to wash up. Killian wakes shortly after he hears the shower running, rubs his eyes and then gets out and walks into the bathroom. 

There’s a nice silhouette of Emma showering. 

He can see all her curves and the glass separating them only roughly covers her. Killian opens his pants and holds himself, stroking gently while staring at her. He would like to be more quiet, but his groans become a bit too much and Emma opens the glass divider, looking at him. 

“Killian?” she cries, “What are you doing?” 

“What do you bloody think it looks like I’m doing?” he counters, stroking his length. 

Emma shakes her head and steps back into the shower, her own arousal kicking in at the sight of him and she starts touching herself. Their moans mix in the air and eventually Emma invites him inside the shower. 

Killian removes all his clothes and comes inside, takes her body and starts petting her. 

Emma feels a fire burning within and hugs Killian closer, nails digging into his back. His fingers dig into her, stroking in and out; meanwhile, feeling his own pleasure building. He rubs her harder and Emma holds on tighter, bracing his back, crying for her release. 

“Killian...I…” 

He kisses her passionately, still petting her heavily and occasionally slapping her and begins to feel her body give out, shriveling up in an orgasm. Killian continues holding onto her, then gently lets go, still bracing her arms. 

“Alright there, love ?” he asks. 

Emma kisses him and it looks like she wants to tell him something important, then backs down. “I thought we could go out later and have dinner somewhere,” she says instead. 

“That sounds good,” he says and continues to wash up. 

~~

Killian finishes showering first and goes down to the lobby, asking the concierge for dinner recommendations. The Eiffel Tower is always a favorite, but they can do it another night. 

Despite their long nap, Killian is still feeling the jetlag and doesn’t feel like venturing out far from the hotel. He takes some pamphlets back up to the suite and sets them out on the bed as Emma finishes her shower. He starts narrowing down their food options as Emma opens up her luggage and looks for something to wear for dinner. 

Paris could be freezing this time of year, but instead, it’s as warm as New York was when they left, which means she can wear short skirts. Emma decides on a strapless, short blue dress. Once she’s ready, she comes over to Killian and kisses his cheek, looking over their food selections. 

“I wouldn’t want to eat anything heavy right now,” she notes. 

Killian looks over her dress and smiles. “You’re stunning Swan,” 

Emma looks at her clothes and blushes. “We’re lucky. It’s usually very cold this time of year, but if it stays warm for the next few days, I have other dress options available,” 

“Such as?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teases back. 

“Perhaps I would,” 

Emma kisses him and he feels up her thigh, feeling a light silk panty covering her. 

“We don’t have to go out for dinner,” he says suddenly, “I haven’t traveled across the seas in a longtime and my body’s still adjusting to the time change,” 

Emma takes one of the dinner pamphlets and slaps him. “I didn’t come all this way Killian Jones just to stay cooped up in a hotel suite and fuck all day,” she says, “We can do that in New York. We can fuck here too, but this is our romantic getaway, and part of that is enjoying what this city has to offer,” 

Killian backs down. “Aye,” he agrees. 

Emma picks a place nearby that offers light dinners and complimentary free wine for first-time customers. “By the way, I’m a little mad at you,” she says. 

“Oh?” 

“We can talk about it later after dinner,” she tells him. 

~~

Emma and Killian walk out of the hotel, checking the city map for directions to the restaurant. Thankfully, this place isn’t too far away from the hotel, only about a seven-minute walk away. It’s still early for the dinner rush, so they’re seated right away and once they’re alone, Killian leans in and asks why she’s upset. 

“I can’t talk about it here,” she tells him. 

The waiter comes back, ready to take their orders and Emma gets chicken cordon bleu while Killian orders a chicken sandwich. Afterward, he presents them with complimentary red wine and gives them two fluted glasses. Killian pops the cork and pours them both, shoeing the waiter away. 

“I’m mad about the text messages,” Emma says finally. 

He smirks, drinking his wine. “You didn’t enjoy them, because I liked sending them,” 

“I enjoyed them ,” she continues, “They’re the reason I had to rush off the bathroom after our plane took off,” 

He shrugs. “Did you feel better after you relieved yourself?” 

Emma takes a long sip of her red wine. “I did, very much,” she mutters, “What’s not fair is how you seemed to be fine,” 

“You think it was easy for me to restrain myself during that whole flight?” Killian counters, “I hated it,” 

Emma sighs and lays her hand on the table, inviting him to hold hers, and he does. “I’m not  _ so  _ mad that we won’t make love later...I just...sometimes you rile me up so easily Killian,” she says. 

He kisses her hand. “You don’t have to be the ice queen all the time, Emma,” he reminds her, “If you learn anything from this trip, I hope it’s to learn to let go and free yourself,” 

“That is part of the plan,” she notes, “for our itinerary,” 

“So you’re ready to share what you have planned for our stay finally?” 

Emma blushes. “I can’t, not yet; at least not here,” she says, “but when we get back to the suite,” 

Killian sighs. “Aye,” 

~~

They enjoy their dinner, stick around to chat a little, pay and then leave. About 6 p.m. local time, the weather is still warm and jet lag is finally wearing off. Emma holds him close as they walk along the path back to the hotel and stop briefly when Emma spots a sex shop. 

She looks at Killian and drags him inside with her. Emma walks towards the back of the shop to look at the lingerie while Killian lingers in the book section of the shop, reading the covers. There are piles of sex books with lengthy pages, some up to five hundred. He picks up one of them, looks through the index and then flips some more, studying the pages. A step-by-step picture guide of one pose, how to ease in and out, transition to the next one. The book itself is too long to buy, though. He puts that one down and picks up a shorter one, 30 pages that details fewer positions. 

“Killian!” 

He follows Emma’s voice to the back of the shop and finds her holding two pieces of lingerie, one a lacy black two pieces and the other a see-through blue, also a two-piece. “Which one do you like better?” she asks. 

“I like blue, but I think I prefer the black here,” he says, “and I think I might get this book,” 

Emma takes it from him and rolls her eyes. “And why do you need a picture book, a step-by-step sex guide?” she questions. 

“Maybe there’s a position here we haven’t tried yet,” he reasons. 

Emma blushes dark red and gives it back to him. “Okay,” she concedes, “I’m going to try this black one before I buy, make sure it fits perfectly,” 

Killian goes ahead and pays for the book, then goes back to wait in the dressing room. Emma comes out with a smile and takes the lingerie to the register to buy. They walk back to the hotel arm in arm. 

As soon as they arrive at their suite, Emma drops onto the bed. Dinner was a little heavier than she expected, but jet lag has worn off. She is however curious about the book Killian purchased and asks to look at it. He raises an eyebrow and gives it to her. 

“I thought you were going to share what we had planned for tomorrow first?” he teases. 

Emma sighs and takes out the trip itinerary from her purse. “I thought we would check out some art galleries tomorrow,” she says. 

“Art galleries, okay,” he agrees, “And then what else?” 

Emma folds the paper and puts it back in her purse. “The evening is a surprise,” she teases. 

“Not even a hint of what that might be?” 

“#No spoilers,” Emma teases. 

“You are terrible,” he groans before stripping his clothes and getting ready for bed. Emma removes her dress and hangs it up in the closet, then slips into bed next to him. 

“Killian,” she starts, “I know it may not seem like it, but I have an amazing trip planned for us. You just need to trust me,” 

“Aye,” 

She cuddles close, fitting her head comfortably on his shoulder. 

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologize for posting late, I had a busy morning and afternoon.


	21. beauté (beauty)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma shakes her head, “I know we’ll end up there, but how is that something different?” 
> 
> Killian raises an eyebrow, “It’s what I plan to do with you once you’re naked,” he smiles and kisses her cheek. 

Emma wakes later than expected and stretches her arms, turning over to find Killian still asleep beside her. She rubs her cheek against his chest hair and kisses his neck, pulling herself on top of him. Killian groans, opening his left eye, spies Emma on top of him. 

“Good morning love,” he says, kissing her. 

“You had a good night's sleep ?” 

He smiles, pulls her in for a kiss and embraces her bare back. “With you beside me, always,” he smiles, “What do you have planned for today ?” 

“Art exhibit,” she says, “which we can go to anytime, no advance tickets are needed; although, I think we missed the complimentary breakfast downstairs,” 

Killian picks up his iPhone laying beside him and, according to local time, it is a quarter to noon. They slept a lot. Jet lag must have been worse than they thought. 

“Did you want to get up now?” Emma asks. 

“Like you said last night, we shouldn’t waste this trip spending all our time in bed,” he reasons, “What gallery are we going to again?” 

Emma smiles, kisses him and then gets up, running to the shower without an answer. Killian sighs. Bloody minx and her secrets. He joins Emma later in the shower, cleaning each other with body wash and touching each other. The shower takes longer than expected for reasons but they both dry up and start getting dressed for the day. Emma puts on a black light poncho top, jeans and sneakers. 

By noon, they’re out of the hotel but stop to buy sandwiches to eat while walking. Emma consults her iPhone and Google Maps to help find this art exhibit she wants to show Killian. It seems a bit out of the way, and at times, he thinks that she’s lost, but they find it. The entrance fee is a 5 euro donation from each guest. 

Killian doesn’t really know what to make of the gallery until he sees black and white photo canvases. It’s more of a subject matter that shocks him, though, with various nude men and women mimicking classic poses. The photos are tastefully done and the people, they’re just models. He looks over at Emma and she giggles, kissing his cheek. 

“I thought that this would be something that you would appreciate,” she muses. 

“Who are they?” he asks, referring to the people. 

“According to the artist's statement, they are Parisian French prostitutes. Photographers hired them to model and mimic poses from classical art to show that even in the darkest corners of Paris, you can find beauty,” she says, “Often times in fashion, designers have this habit of taking something old and making it fresh and new again. When I found out about this place, it reminded me of that,” 

They walk around the gallery, admiring the portraits and making comparisons to the original art. Most of the portraits borrow from French artists, but not totally. There are small hidden Easter eggs in each photo, a smile on a woman’s face that can’t be seen in the original but each tells a story. 

Emma gives Killian the pamphlet and he sits reading it. A percentage of the donations given to the gallery for this showing, the artist will give back to each model he photographed. 

After the gallery, they break for lunch at a nearby cafe. Emma takes out her sunglasses again. 

“What do we do after this?” he asks. 

“I have some ideas,” she teases, “Maybe a walk along the Seine, or can we catch a boat ride?” 

“I have an idea for what I want to do with you once we get back to the hotel,” he whispers, “mostly they involve you being naked,” 

Emma shakes her head, “I know we’ll end up there, but how is that something different?” 

Killian raises an eyebrow, “It’s what I plan to do with you once you’re naked,” he smiles and kisses her cheek. 

~~

After lunch, they check out the rates for boat tours down the Seine. Unfortunately, the last boat already left for the day but they can reserve two seats for tomorrow’s cruise. 

They pick up where they’re standing, the boat leaves around 3 and then returns around 5. There’s also dinner accommodations for two atop the Eiffel Tower. That’s so high even for Emma, but for Killian, she’ll do it. They make their reservations and return to the hotel. 

Neither of them is hungry for dinner, but Killian’s hungry for Emma as they reach the room and get inside, kissing passionately. She starts undressing and then he pulls away, getting something out of his bag. Her eyes widen once she realizes that it’s a camera. 

“Killian,” she starts. 

“This will be just between us love,” he assures her, “but in that gallery you took me too, it inspired me and I still don’t have a permanent record of this beautiful body of yours,” 

Emma blushes and looks away from him. 

“You’re beautiful and have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of Emma,” Killian continues, “You’re perfect for me and I want these photos to reflect that,” 

She hesitates and then goes into the bathroom. Killian checks the memory card and the batteries, then begins fixing the furniture in the room to his liking. As he’s arranging the bed, Emma’s bare leg comes out suddenly from behind the bathroom door and she stretches it, exhaling. 

“Emma…”

“Shhh, I’m trying to make a sexy entrance,” she scolds him. 

She retracts her leg, then opens the door, spreads her legs wide and, yes, totally nude. Killian stares at her, every bare part, smiles appreciatively. Emma comes over and kisses him, pressing hard against his chest. “Now, where do you want me?” she asks. 

“The bed,” he says plainly. 

“The bed already huh?” she teases and goes to lay down. 

She doesn’t really know if Killian wants her in a specific pose so she just tries to make herself comfortable. 

Killian comes over and repositions her arms over her head and bends her left leg into an arch and turns her face slightly away from him. 

He starts snapping photos, wide, close-up headshots, waist up and then changes her position again, this time putting one hand on her nipples and the other between her legs. Emma blushes as he takes the pictures, and he zooms in to catch her candid smile. Slowly, Emma starts to relax with the posing and adds little gestures and poses of her own. 

After Killian tires of bed shots, he asks Emma to stand and sit at the coffee table in their room. On instinct, she crosses her legs, but Killian tells her to uncross them and that she’s not supposed to care that she’s naked. Emma uncrosses her legs and looks towards the balcony. He takes more pictures, mostly close-ups but also wide shots, focusing more on the space and her pose. 

Killian asks her to walk towards the balcony and Emma gets up, lacing her fingers together and head low, stepping slowly towards the balcony. He captures the pose, comes over and kisses her. Killian raises her chin and strokes her back gently. “There's to be ashamed of love, remember,” he tells her. 

“Killian, I have a better idea,” she says, and changes direction to the wall, lifting both of her arms in v-shape over her head, breasts slightly out. 

He takes a couple more pictures and catches her looking directly at the camera. Emma breathes slowly, drops her arms to her inner thighs and focuses taking pictures only of her hands and where they're placed. He notices that her fingers slowly begin to touch herself and hears a soft moan escaping her lips. 

Killian looks at her, eyes closed and a hint of a smile. “Emma?”

“Hmm?”

“Come back to the bed,”

Emma leans off from the door and settles once again on the bed, draping her hands over her vagina. She looks up at Killian, waiting in his direction. 

“Continue doing what you were doing before,” he says, “touch yourself,”

“You're going to capture that on camera?”

“Just for my pleasure, Swan," he reminds her. 

Emma sighs and continues stroking herself, remembering the first time she did this in her bathroom at home. 

Killian just asked her for the second time if she remembered kissing him that night. Of course she did, and even though she was drunk, she liked kissing him. 

Emma had been attracted to him since the moment he stepped into her office for that assistant interview. She also knew then that attraction could be troublesome, but she hired him anyway, convinced that she could keep her emotions at bay and behave like the professional that she is. 

Then, she found herself wanting to spend more time with him. The moment that did it for her though is when she demanded he model underwear for her in the showroom. Emma had her first glimpse of how truly sexy and beautiful her lead model was the fabric hugging all his curves and, of course, highlighting his bulge. 

Emma rubs herself harder and raises her other hand to her breasts, squeezing them. 

Killian starts taking pictures, wondering what she's thinking about. 

“Hmm,” she moans.

Emma liked seeing him in that tight, barely there thong too, teasing him in her bedroom. She didn't wear panties during that mock interview but remembers wanting to tease him in other ways, like touching herself now. Emma feels the glistening cum coat on her fingers and she removes her other hand from her breast and scoops up some and licks it. 

“Bloody hell,” Killian groans. 

Emma opens her eyes and looks at him; he is wrecked, staring at her with such heated desire. There's a visible storm in his blue eyes, and Emma likes it, wondering how far she can go before her lover breaks. 

“You’ve stopped taking pictures,” 

Killian looks down at his camera, then resumes his stance, photographing her. 

Emma sinks into the mattress as she takes herself higher and higher. She pokes in a second finger, stroking herself and then uses her other hand to slap. 

The first slap hit her and Killian hard. 

Emma does it again, a louder moan escapes her lips, and she rubs herself harder, adding a third finger. She is dripping soaked and sore but Emma doesn't care. Killian switches from stills to movies and records the last moment of Emma pleasuring herself before she comes apart. He switches off the camera, puts it down and comes over to the bed. Emma’s eyelashes flutter open and she looks up at him. 

“Killian,” she smiles. 

He lays in beside her and kisses her softly. “You’re beautiful Emma,” he whispers, “I don’t think there’s any other word I can use to describe what I just saw,” 

She blushes and Killian kisses her again, pulling her waist to straddle his lap. Emma still feels wet and sore, and he can feel that ache in his groin too. “I’d only do that  _ for you _ ,” she whispers, “I…” 

“Yes, love?” 

Emma wants to say that she loves him and that’s why it can only be for him, but she’s too scared to leap just yet. 

She knows that she confessed to him why she’s scared to say that she loves him out loud but confessing that isn’t the same as admitting how she truly feels about him, although she is slowly getting there. Their time together during the last few days has been amazing, and she looks forward to exploring the wilder side of herself and finally breaking free of her insecurities. 

Emma knows that she has to let go of those insecurities, it’s really the only thing holding her back from saying ‘I love you’ to Killian. What she did earlier, it was the first time that she started to let go of that even though she still felt shy and a part of her wanted to control the action. 

“I,” Emma starts again, “I want to try something with you,” 

“Aye?” 

“I think you know that I have control issues, I think it comes with the territory of being a CEO but anyway, how would you feel about some roleplaying?” she asks. 

“Like the press practice interview we did in your bedroom?” 

“No, not quite,” she teases. 

~~

Emma checks her makeup and fixes her hair as she studies her sultry office CEO's appearance in the bathroom. Killian’s rearranging furniture outside and changing into formal office wear. Emma looks down at her breasts and there’s a nice open, wide V-neck where her blouse should normally be buttoned up, her flared tube skirt hugs her nicely, accentuated by netted, pinned stockings and high-heel shoes. She even has black glasses. 

This roleplay had been part of her Paris trip planning, researching various roleplays they could do privately in their suite and what would be most appropriate for them. It came down to this and a French maid outfit, but this scenario seemed fitting, remembering how cold and unfeeling she had been towards Killian during their original office interview. 

Of course she thought that he was handsome then but an attraction for her didn’t really start until they started working closely together and of course, modeling clothes. 

“Emma, I’m ready out here!” Killian calls. 

Emma inhales, checking herself again in the mirror and adjusts her lace black bra and low-cut V-neck t-shirt. Can she really do this? 

Emma closes her eyes and calms herself, telling herself that she needs to let go. She’s confident in her abilities as President and CEO but still needs to learn to let go sometimes and allow herself the freedom to just be herself, not the ice fashion queen all the time. She checks her makeup one more time and then steps out of the bathroom, finding Killian seated behind a desk, holding a notepad and pencil and wearing a blue office suit. 

“Ms. Swan, welcome to your second assistant interview. Please have a seat,” he says. 

Emma folds the printed paper in her hands and sits down obediently, looking at him. Killian scans over a copy of her fake resume, then looks up at her. “Your resume Ms. Swan is impressive. Now, please tell me why do you want to be my second assistant? Why should I choose you over other qualified candidates?” 

“I think I can be a great asset to your company, Mr. Jones, I’m a fast learner, I work hard and I'm a very good multi-tasker,” she reasons. 

Killian smirks at her, seductively studying her outfit, clears his throat. “Can you give me an example of your multitasking abilities? What can you do?” 

Emma starts listing office tasks she’s performed at once and then Killian stops her. “No, I mean, what can you show me regarding your multitasking abilities?” he asks. 

Emma starts to feel her heart beating so fast, knowing that this is where she has to start letting go. She uncrosses her legs, spreads her skirt and teases him with her pin-up stockings. Killian raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything. Emma stands and walks behind the desk, pulling his chair closer to her and bends down close. 

“Give me tasks to do Mr. Jones and I’ll execute them for you,” she whispers. 

Killian studies her outfit again and hugs her breasts with his hands, squeezing them gently. Emma whimpers. “Are you trying to seduce Ms. Swan?” he asks. 

“I want to please you Mr. Jones and hope to become a valuable asset to you,” she says, “What do you want me to do?” 

He smiles, moving his hands from her breasts to her bottom. “I think we should start with one task first,” he reasons, “Aye?” 

Emma grins. “Yes,” 

Killian loosens his pants and removes his cock, stroking it gently and then asks Emma to stand and remove her skirt. Emma reluctantly stands and removes her skirt, showing off her pin-up stockings and no black underwear to cover her. 

“You had the audacity to come into my office for this interview without wearing anything to cover yourself?” he demands. 

Emma shrugs, smiling. “I wanted to feel relaxed and open,” she reasons, “as I am now.” 

Killian beckons her back over to his chair and Emma starts to straddle him and starts to remove the rest of his pants, but he stops her. “I didn’t say remove them Ms. Swan,” he reminds her. 

“Yes, Mr. Jones,” she obeys, “Now, how shall I demonstrate my task?” 

“I think you know,” he breaths, pulling her to sit on his lap and glide onto his cock. They're really close together as she slides all the way, her arms dangling over his back. “I want you to fuck me like your position in this company depends on it, but...I want the pleasure all to be mine,” 

Emma nods and starts gyrating her hips against him, feeling her own wetness coat him. 

Killian closes his eyes, feeling every thrust slap at him. He can also feel Emma’s arousal and hear her holding back pleasurable moans. Killian drapes his hands on her thighs, wanting to toy with her, but he restrains himself. This exercise is about Emma learning to let go of that icy persona of hers, and she needs to follow through. 

Emma fucks him harder, feeling that familiar pleasure teetering on the edge and tries to push it down. She wraps her hand around his cock, gently massaging him and Killian groans. 

“Killian,” she whimpers. 

“It’s Mr. Jones,” he corrects her horsley, feeling her ministrations beginning to get to him. 

“Mr. Jones,” she pants, coming into him hard and fast, “Do I have the job?” 

Killian’s orgasm hits him hard, rippling through his body and jolting into Emma. “Yes,” he screams, “The job is yours Ms. Swan,” 

Emma starts to back away and then he holds her in place, placing his arms around her waist and kisses her, breaking the roleplay temporarily. 

“How did that feel love?” he asks. 

“Freeing,” she says and drops her head onto his shoulder. Emma let go, she let Killian take control of her and she trusted him not to take things too far with her, to let him dictate the mood and what he wanted her to do. 

He kisses her forehead and smiles. “This process has been a far cry from the interview you gave me,” he jokes, “I liked it and I liked seeing you like that.” 

Emma blushes. “Baby steps, remember ?" she reminds him, “I’m happy to tell you that I have other special activities planned for you Killian on this trip, if you’ll indulge me,” 

“Sometime on this trip you’ll have to let me plan a day for us,” he reasons, “You’ve been so secretive about everything,” 

“I just want us to have a good time,” 

“And we will Emma no matter what we do, but remember,  _ control _ , you have to learn not to be the one in charge all the time and that includes this trip,” Killian reminds her, “This won’t work tomorrow because we’re already scheduled for that boat tour and the Eiffel Tower dinner but the day after, let me plan what we’re going to do?” 

Emma’s hesitant to let go of her itinerary. She worked so hard on it but…

“Okay,” she relents, “You can plan one day for us after tomorrow,” 

He kisses her, pulling her close again on his lap. “Good,” he agrees, feeling between her thighs and her arousal, “I still can’t believe that you didn’t wear underwear. Did you know that you were going to do that when you planned this?” 

“Yes,” she blushes, “Did you enjoy yourself?” 

“I think you know the answer to that Swan,” he says, “I also really fancy this outfit,” 

Emma blushes redder. “The outfit wasn’t difficult to put together actually, the skirt and the blouse I already have, the only thing missing was…” she rambles and Killian kisses her, cutting her off. 

“You are an amazing, sexy, sensual and beautiful woman, Emma Swan,” he breathes, “A true beauty,” 

Emma’s taken aback by his words and wants to tell him, ‘I love you’ but there’s something else holding her back and she can’t get the words out. “I...thank you,” she says instead. 

~~

They take a nap together for about an hour, removing all their clothes from the roleplay and leaving them on the floor. Emma feels safe and loved in Killian’s arms, and he loves and accepts her for who she is and bit by bit is melting her icy walls, but there’s still one barrier between them that she can’t figure out; her being unable to say ‘I love you.’ 

Emma knows that she loves Killian. She knew it when they were in New York at the beginning of their romance, and she knows that feeling is stronger than ever being here with him in Paris. 

But there’s still something holding her back from saying it aloud so she cannot figure out what it is. 

She sort of knows. 

It goes back to her insecurities and trust issues. 

Saying that I love you,’ makes her vulnerable to being hurt again. She didn’t say it to Neal, but she thought that she loved him, she told Walsh before she found out about him cheating on her with Regina, and each time she’s thought or said it aloud, her world has come down crashing on her. 

It terrifies Emma if she tells Killian how she truly feels about him that she might get hurt again. She doesn’t believe that he would intentionally hurt her, but he could hurt her in other ways. She’s almost said it to him a couple times within the past hour but chickened out for whatever reason. 

Emma already knows how he feels about her. She told him that when they were in New York and he understands her hesitance to say it back, maybe just that being together will be enough, but Emma knows that isn’t right. She needs to give herself space and time to say it with confidence without fear. 

~~

When Killian wakes from his nap, he finds Emma previewing the photos he took earlier. He sits up, noting that his shirt is gone and then he realizes that Emma took his shirt and is currently wearing it. 

“Emma?” 

“Hmm?” she muses, still looking over the photos he took earlier. 

“Emma,” 

She finally looks up at him and sits on the edge of the bed beside him, still fixated on the photos. “These are really good,” she notes, “They’re tasteful, erotic and just  _ really beautiful _ , Killian,” 

He kisses her elbow. “They’re all you,” 

“I know I’m the subject, but I’m talking about the artistry of these,” she continues, “I have photographers, talented artists I work with every day at  _ The Jeweled Swan, _ but few of them are willing to cross that line of conservative fashion photography and create something different. These pictures, they’re stunning,” 

Killian blushes. 

“No Killian, I’m serious,” she continues, “You have a real artistic talent,” 

He shrugs, sighing. “I took a few photography classes at NYU and...Milah helped nurture that talent. She helped me see the beauty that the camera can capture. I hadn’t picked up a camera since she died,” 

“Why?” 

“She and I shared a similar experience that I shared with you. Milah was my teacher, my inspiration, my model and lover. Then she was taken from me before I graduated,” he explains. 

She smiles solemnly and grasps his hand. Killian’s only talked to her once before about Milah, and it can’t be easy to revisit those memories. Emma still has some hidden pain about what happened with her and Neal all those years ago, a pain that she’s just starting to heal from. 

“I also googled your name while you were sleeping and found some journal articles that you wrote,” she adds. 

“Bloody hell,” he moans. 

“They’re deep, thoughtful, honest and I can hear your voice in every word,” she tells him, “I guess my next question is, how come you didn’t apply to be a staff writer for some magazine?” 

He shrugs. “I did, many times, but every other article referring to Milah’s murder also had my name in it. No one wanted to interview the student who had an affair with his teacher and then got her killed,” he reasons. 

“Killian, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault Swan,” he assures her, “I was young, naive and really stupid.” 

“I did,” she reminds him, “And I haven’t regretted hiring you since.” 

Killian smiles at her. “You look good wearing my shirt,” 

Emma looks down at her clothes and bites her lip. “Oh yeah, sorry...I didn’t want to get up and someone sees me through the balcony, running to the bathroom to get my clothes,” she apologizes. 

“It’s no problem, Swan. I like it,” 

Emma leans down and kisses him. “I think when we get back to New York, you should shadow some of our photographers in the art department,” she reasons. 

“I like working closely with you,” 

“I know and I feel the same way, but Killian, you have a gift with photography and I think you should pick it up again,” she continues, “I can hire another assistant to temporarily fill your spot, but really, I just want you to use your talents to the best of your ability and I think Milah would want the same for you,” 

“I’ll think about it,” he promises. 

tbc


	22. avec toi, j'ai tout (with you, I have everything)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Emma,” he breathes and kisses her, “I’ve had the best couple of days spending time with you, but you know, I get this feeling that there's something you want to tell me,”

Emma wakes the following morning a little before 8 a.m., and feels a slightly cool breeze streaming into the room. 

It gives her goosebumps and then looks beside her for Killian, but he’s not there. The shower is not running either, and then she sees him standing outside on their private balcony. Emma bends down and picks up her role playing clothes from yesterday, buttons up the blouse shirt this time and puts on the skirt before walking outside and joining him. 

Their suite is on the 8th floor of the hotel. It’s not very high up, there are a total of fifteen floors so they’re somewhere in the middle. Still, this is high for Emma and her palms start to get a little clammy. The  _ Jeweled Swan _ ’s main office, her office is on the 15th floor, basically at the top of the building, and she has her own private elevator with glass windows but never stands to look out onto the Manhattan skyline because heights terrify her. 

“Good morning Swan,” Killian says, drinking some freshly brewed coffee. 

“Hi,” she says weakly, wrapping her arms around herself, “What are you doing out here?” 

“We’re not far from the Eiffel Tower. You can sort of see it,” he notes, “just sticking out above those buildings. Come here and look,” 

Emma tries not to let her gaze drift downward to the street as she steps towards him and braces his waist. 

“Jesus Swan, you’re trembling,” he exclaims, feeling her holding onto him. 

“We’re standing on the balcony, eight stories up and I’m scared of heights. Of course, I’m trembling,” she notes. 

Killian kisses her temple and holds her closer, putting down his coffee on a nearby metal coffee table. “You need to calm down," he soothes, running his hand through her hair. He holds her closer, angling her body away from the railing so she doesn’t have to look down, but he feels that her body is still really tense. “Emma, look at me. You can do this love. The Eiffel Tower is just over there, we’ll be going up later for dinner and I’m curious to see how far we can see all of Paris,” he continues.

She looks at him. “You want to go to the top?” 

“Aye,” he smiles, “And I want you to come with you,” 

Emma buries her head in his chest and sighs. “I’m sorry,” she cries. 

“There’s no need to be sorry Swan,” he assures her, “I have an idea that I think will help. It’ll give you something to focus on rather than heights. Trust me?” 

“Yes,” 

Killian starts unzipping his pants and Emma freaks out. 

“Here, you want to do this  _ here? _ ” she cries, “Killian…”

“It’s just us Emma,” he assures her, pulling down his fly lower and strokes himself gently before lowering Emma’s skirt and feeling her clit. 

She whimpers into his shirt. This is really bad what he wants to do, right here on their private balcony, early in the morning. People passing by below them can see that she’s not wearing panties underneath. 

Then Emma spies a large blue rug placed beneath where they’re standing. No one can see them from below, but that doesn’t make Emma panic any less. 

“Okay,” she whispers, “but quietly. I don’t want to wake anyone,” 

“As you wish my love,” he teases, feeling her clit one more time and pinching it before sliding into her. 

Emma holds onto him tight, her heart pounding her beneath her breast as Killian comes in and out of her in fluid strokes. She begins to get lost in the ecstasy of it and starts quietly moaning into him, angling herself closer so he hits her g-spot. 

Killian slips his hands beneath her skirt and onto her but, feeling Emma’s arousal making this so much easier. His cock begins to throb and slaps into her harder, eliciting louder moans as Emma tries to stifle by hiding her face in his neck. 

Emma cums first before he does, the first early morning orgasm radiates through her and makes her whole body feel like liquid. She’s still coming down from her high when Killian’s orgasm follows her second later and he grabs her bottom firmly. 

After they both calm down, Emma stands on her tiptoes and kisses him, still feeling sore but good. 

Killian smiles and hugs her, pulling her skirt back up, but not before he gently fondles her. 

Emma wants to pull him inside and back to bed where she can properly say good morning, but Killian doesn’t budge. She sighs and sneaks a peek over his shoulder where she can see a section of the Eiffel Tower and she looks back at him. 

“You’re right,” she says, “It is a beautiful view,” 

Killian stops fondling her and kisses her. She’s not trembling anymore from the heights either. “I’m glad that you could see it love,” he says and walks back inside. 

Emma fixes her clothes before coming inside and closing the balcony door behind her. They both need to shower and get ready for that river cruise at 3. 

There’s no time for dalliance, so they both hop into the shower and focus on cleaning up. Emma finishes first, fixes a towel around her breasts and looks through her luggage for something to wear. They won’t have to do a lot of walking since they’ll be on that cruise and probably need to wear a dress for dinner later. It’s a little chilly out now but it will warm up later. 

She picks out a black lace hem midi fishtail dress that is classy by sexy and she can wear fashionable high heel bumps. They can change after breakfast and then head out for the cruise, so Emma hangs her dress temporarily and sets her shoes aside, putting on a blouse and jeans instead for breakfast. She waits for Killian to finish changing, then they go downstairs to finally enjoy complimentary breakfast. 

The breakfast they find is more of a buffet style, all you can eat with scrambled eggs, omelette stations, lots of pastries as usual, fresh fruit and no shortage of bacon and sausage. And coffee. They serve themselves and find a table for two to enjoy their food. After breakfast, Killian sticks around in the lobby and looks through the things-to-see brochure rack for Paris highlights. Emma says she’ll meet him upstairs and start getting ready. 

After she leaves, he finds a brochure for a burlesque cafe located within walking distance of their hotel. The fee for the place is for dinner and show and is reasonably priced. He also finds a map of all the sex shops, located within walking distance of where they are. Killian folds both and puts them away before making his way back upstairs to their suite, and when he comes in, Emma is putting on her dress. 

“Bloody hell,” 

She looks up at him and smiles. “You like?” 

“You look stunning, Swan,” he says. 

“Thank you,” she smiles and then puts on a red jacket, fixing her hair. 

~~

Neither of them are hungry for a heavy lunch since the breakfast buffet this morning took care of their appetites. 

However, Emma and Killian stop by a sandwich shop on the way and buy two half sandwiches for a light lunch, then continue walking along the Parc du Champ-de-Mars. The weather is still really nice out, slightly breezy but not cold. They sit down on a nearby bench and eat their sandwiches, watching some people in front of them play a game of football (soccer). 

It’s around 1:45 now and their cruise starts boarding at 2:30, departing before 3. Emma tosses their trash and unzips her purse, feeling her iphone vibrating. She walks over to Killian and checks them. It’s Tink. 

Emma calls her back. 

“Good afternoon boss,” she says, “I just wanted to call and let you know that the Paris show went smoothly yesterday, it was a hit and Emmanuel Macron and his wife attended,” 

“Macron was there and his wife?!” Emma cries, “Tink, are you serious?!” 

She receives photographic evidence a second later, a photograph of three of them on the red carpet. Emma saves them. 

“Tink, that’s amazing. Thank you!” 

“Mrs. Macron also placed a large order for her husband,” Tink adds, “Just thought I should let you know. Everyone asked about where you were but I told them that you and your second assistant are preparing for the Italian show. How’s your romantic getaway going so far?” 

Emma looks at Killian, smiling. “It’s great. Killian and I will be leaving shortly to go on a boat tour on the Seine, then for a later dinner at the Eiffel Tower,” she says, “Listen Tink, I can’t thank you enough to cover for me. I know that this is a huge favor…” 

“No worries Emma,” Tink interrupts, “I’m just happy that you’re happy and treating yourself. You deserve it. I won’t keep you long. I’m here to have lunch with Jefferson at a pastry cafe. I’ll see you when you get back to New York,” 

Emma hangs up and puts her iPhone away. 

“Everything okay ?” 

“Yeah, great. I’m going to have to give Tink a big treat for all her hard once we get back to New York,” she muses. 

~~

After the call with Tink, they start walking towards the pick-up point for the cruise and sure enough once they arrive, there’s already a line of guests checking in with their reservation for the tour. The boats’ already anchored and receiving passengers so the line moves rather quickly. Emma presents their reservations, along with ID’s and a quick security check before boarding. 

The boat has an inside dining area, an upper deck above it and, of course, the lower deck. Emma and Killian go inside the dining area first, ordering some drinks and then go upstairs to the upper deck and find seats. 

The remaining guests board, then the captain makes an announcement that they will depart soon after a quick equipment check. Killian takes out his iphone and turns on the camera for a selfie. Emma reluctantly removes her large sunglasses and rests her head against him as he takes the picture, making sure to capture the Eiffel Tower behind them. 

Once the equipment check is done, the deck master unanchors them and they start cruising down the river. Emma’s glad that she has her red jacket because it is slightly chilly on the water. Another voice comes over the speaker, a female, and she welcomes everyone to today’s cruise and she will be narrating and pointing out monuments to them as they travel down the Seine. 

Emma sips her sparkling champagne, relaxing in the crook of Killian's arm as they sit watching Paris pass them by. If she didn’t have to worry about the Italian show, she would gladly stay here with Killian longer and explore more of this beautiful city. They listen absentmindedly to cruise commentary, then Killian offers to get them some snacks down below. Emma promises to save their seats, and after he’s gone, she starts taking her own pictures with her phone. Killian comes back with some snacks for them. 

By the time the boat reaches their tenth bridge, it’s around 4 p.m. It stops briefly to let people off and new passengers come in. The change takes about six minutes and then they turn around, heading back to the tower. The journey up the river takes about 40 minutes, arriving at the tower earlier than expected. 

They disembark and thank the cruise captain for the tour and then make their way to the Eiffel Tower, showing once again their joint cruise-tower ticket for dinner. They’re directed to a second-floor restaurant,  _ Jules Verne,  _ and a maitre’d promptly show them to their table and present their menu.

Emma orders  _ foie gras de canard confit, coing _ and Killian tries his best to understand what it is he is looking at and asks for a recommendation. If he likes meat, he can also order the duck the same as Emma and there’s also venison. He orders the venison and then the waiter reads through their choice of wines. There has to be a red wine for both of them. 

The server leaves them and promises to come back with their wine selection. Killian feels like he is being epically spoiled on this trip when it comes to food, but time alone with Emma, away from the office and the pressure of the business is worth it. He takes out his phone and takes her picture. 

“No need to be shy, Swan. You look beautiful,” he compliments.

She blushes. “There's only two days left of our getaway,” she notes.

“I hope you're not backing off your promise to let me plan tomorrow's activities?”

“No, I’m not...I just...I like spending this time with you and getting to experience all these new things with you. I haven't taken a real vacation in a decade, or ever. Work and Henry always consumed my life. I let the business take over and I lost who I was,” she muses, “Even when I was with Walsh, I was too busy with work to recognize he was pulling away from me and gravitating to Regina,”

Killian reaches across the table and holds her hand. “It's often times hard to see things we don't want until it's too late ,” he reasons. 

“I know what I see in you, Killian and I…”

The waiter comes back with their wine, bread and olive oil for dipping. Killian thanks him and he goes away. “You were saying Swan?” he asks.

“I’m thankful for the day you showed up for your interview and came into my life,” she says.

“Right,” he agrees, feeling that she wanted to say something else. Killian turns his attention to the wine and screws it open and pours them both.

Some 45 minutes later, their food finally arrives and Killian gets a good look at what he ordered. It is indeed venison, and Emma has duck. He takes a picture of their food and the waiter comes by to offer to take a picture of both of them. Killian gives him the iphone with some direction and he takes about four pictures. 

“Mercie,” Emma thanks him as Killian previews the pictures. They all came out beautifully. Then he puts his phone away and they start eating.

~~

After dinner, Killian takes Emma to the third floor. She stands fidgety as the elevator takes them higher to the top of the tower. It's getting very dark now and it's maybe around 8 or 9 in the evening. The elevator opens automatically once it reaches the top floor. Killian steps out first, then offers Emma his hand and she takes it. 

The catwalk space is smaller than the previous floors with a few overhead lights. Killian brings her over to one of the sides of the tower overlooking Paris. Emma plants her feet firmly on the ground, holding the rails as she looks out over the city. Killian stands close behind her, holding her waist. 

The park that was once filled with people is now an open green space and all corners of the streets are lit. 

“That is why it's called the city of lights and love,” he muses. 

Emma leans her head on his chest and turns to him. 

“Emma,” he breathes and kisses her, “I’ve had the best couple of days spending time with you, but you know, I get this feeling that there's something you want to tell me,”

He’s not wrong. There's something she wants to tell him and being here with him atop the Eiffel Tower in the most romantic city in the world would be the ideal place to say it. 

But those are  _ not  _ the words that come out of Emma’s mouth. “Make love to me,” she cries.

“ _ Here at _ the Eiffel Tower ?”

Emma shrugs, checking for guests and doesn't see anyone. They're the only ones on top, and Emma can't think of a more thrilling feeling than giving into her passion in a public place.

“Killian, no one is here except for us and what happened this morning on the balcony, it was scary but also thrilling. You turned me onto a side of myself I didn't know existed,” she continues and kisses him, “Please Killian?”

He asks her to wait while he goes around the top level to check if anyone else is there. Emma stands shakily by herself, waiting for him to come back and confirm that they are indeed alone. 

Killian still is not sure if this is a good idea. Someone could walk in on them or they could get stuck up here (although he did read a sign the tower closes late). He unzips his pants and lowers his boxers.

Emma raises her dress and slides her panties to her feet. Killian comes closer, bracing an arm around her back and slides into her. He backs her into a corner beam, so at least there's something hard behind her. He feels her first and she is warm with arousal. Killian thrusts deeply into her and Emma sinks against the beam. He does it again, alternating between deep and shallow thrusts, making Emma feel weak in the knees but floating happily. She's never felt so free of her inhibitions before and likes them. 

Killian on the other hand feels like he has only one purpose in this relationship, if it can even be called a relationship. He knows that there is something that Emma wants to tell him but keeps finding excuses to avoid saying what's really on her mind. It's become a pattern with her at this point and he’s borderline tired of it. 

He truly loves Emma and has no problem saying that he does, but Emma can't seem to say that she loves him (and he knows that she does). Killian pulls all his frustration into fucking, pushing Emma closer and closer to orgasm. Emma's orgasm fills her up with bliss and falls onto him, breathing heavily. Killian is out of breath himself and drained. 

“Can't think of a better way to end this evening,” she says, looking at him smiling and then frowns once she notices that Killian is upset. “Killian, what is it?”

“What am I to you? Am I your model, your muse, lover, boyfriend, your sex toy?” he wonders.

“Killian, you mean so much to me and more. With you, I have everything I've ever wanted and more. I have a balance I didn't have before because of you,” she says.

“I love you,” he cries, “and I never thought that I could love you again until I met you. I understand your reason for holding back Emma, but it's become more than that. You purposely tiptoe around saying three little words and you can't give me a straight answer why, especially when I deserve that,”

Emma stares at him, dropping her dress and goes over to pick up her panties. “I told you why Killian, because I’ve been hurt before,”

“No, if that were the truth, then I doubt that you would be with me because you would be too paranoid about trusting me with your heart,” he reasons, “There's something or  _ someone _ holding you back from saying it, and that is something that you need to confront otherwise this relationship or whatever it is, does not have a chance of surviving,”

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We're getting closer to the end of August and even closer to my wedding date - 10/3/20! I'll be honest, the month of September might become very busy for me getting ready for my wedding, so I'm not sure how often I will be able to update this fic. But if I have time, or need a breather, then expect this to be updated.


	23. à votre service (for your pleasure)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No, but the way you're currently feeling, that is my fault. I open up parts of my life with you that few get to see and what we have is special and beautiful, but it lacks what I can't give you because of my own personal issues with past trauma I never really dealt with. You deserve better than that Killian,” she cries. 

The walk back to the hotel is uncomfortably silent, and tension feels even worse once they get back into their suite. Emma goes to the bathroom and changes her clothes while Killian changes by the bed.

Sharing that bed tonight will be very unpleasant, and then he remembers Emma telling him that they do have a pullout bed. He’ll probably sleep there. Killian strips down until he's totally nude and then goes over to the couch and tries to figure out how the pullout bed works. 

Emma turns on the shower and then turns it off, asking, not demanding that they talk. He curses bloody hell under his breath, stops what he's doing and goes into the bathroom. She goes outside briefly to hang up her clothes in the closet and then comes back. 

“I’m sorry that you're frustrated about this, Killian. I am too. I wanted to tell you those words several times today and you're right, there is something or  _ someone _ I need to confront before I can say how I feel about you,” she says, “The trouble is, I have no idea where to find him because he never told me his last name. Even if I wanted to find him and get that closure, I wouldn't know the first place to look for him,”

“So this is about Henry's father,” he reasons. 

Emma sighs and sits on the toilet. “I guess I never really dealt with the trauma from rape, just compartmentalized it and moved on. I had counseling at the clinic where I stayed up to the time I gave birth to Henry and I love Henry so much, always wanting better for him because of how he came into being, but I never truly confronted what happened,” she muses, “Henry's father was...the first to take me in and take care of me, so I thought this was what love and a family could feel like. I didn't see that he was using me,”

Killian softens, comes over and kneels in front of her. “What happened to you, Swan isn't your fault, the victim of rape never is.”

“No, but the way you're currently feeling, that  _ is  _ my fault. I open up parts of my life with you that few get to see and what we have is special and beautiful, but it lacks what I can't give you because of my own personal issues with past trauma I never really dealt with. You deserve better than that Killian,” she cries. 

“Aye. I know I’m frustrated and angry with you Swan but despite that, it doesn't change how I feel about you. You're not the only one burned by love. I lost my mother, my father and my Milah. At least I still have my brother and Elsa, and one day a niece or nephew to add to the Jones clan,” he says, “and no matter what we are to each other, you will always have me by your side, Emma. I want to help you overcome this, but you also have to meet me halfway too,”

Emma kisses him and presses her forehead to his and pulls away, looking at him. “I really blew it tonight. There we were atop the most romantic spot in the world and I asked you to fuck me, instead of saying the other thing,”

He sighs. “The other thing would have been good, but I didn't hate doing what I did, I was just frustrated,” he admits. 

“I’m sorry Killian,” she apologizes again, “You deserve better than this,”

“Aye, but I want to be with you Swan. I denied how I felt about you after we first met but began to feel this ache after you kissed me, something I haven't felt since Milah...you lit the spark between us Emma and it will take a bigger crisis than this to put it out,”

Emma kisses him again and Killian pulls her to stand up, standing closer and loosening the sash of her bathrobe. He finally loosens the robe, draping it below her shoulders and exposing her breasts. Killian dives right in, kissing her bare skin and fondling her. 

“Killian,” she starts, “is this really okay?”

“No, but I promise to be more patient with you,” he vows and resumes kissing her shoulders and nipples. 

Emma leaps onto him, straddling her legs around his waist and dropping the robe on the floor. Killian holds her tight and carries her back into the bedroom, getting as far as the edge of the bed. Emma inches closer and sinks into him, bridging the gap between them. Killian lets out an icy hiss, rolling her thighs against him. Emma gets it and takes over, rolling and bouncing on him.

Killian starts moaning and he bends her closer, kissing her neck. Emma begins to feel the familiar heat between them and gives a little space between their bodies to stroke him and herself, then resumes fucking with him. Her arousal is bordering hot but doesn't stop, wanting to bring him his pleasure first. Killian is almost there, judging from the grunts and moans. Emma herself is teetering on the edge with her bounces and occasionally stroking them both. 

Finally, she hits the right nerve within herself and cums. She feels weak and shaky for a moment, and Killian starts to ease her off, but she stops him. Emma kisses him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she begins rolling her hips into him again. She starts out slow, then picks up the pace, the sound of skin slapping skin filling the room along with Killian’s moans. Emma feels sore but doesn't care, thrusting harder and deeper. 

Killian finally cums, feeling his orgasm all over. Emma slides off him and crawls into their bed, and he eventually follows spoons with her. He kisses her temple and then her. 

Despite their fight earlier, today was a good day and tomorrow he gets to plan a special day for both of them. 

~~

The smell of fresh, newly brewed coffee wakes Emma from sleep and she spies Killian fixing her breakfast in bed. “Hey,” she says, and he turns to her, holding the coffee pot. 

“Good morning there, Swan," he says, putting down the coffee pot and kissing her. “I ordered for breakfast to come to us, no time this morning to dally; not when I have a special day planned out for both of us with a focus to treat you like the queen that you are,” 

Emma smiles and kisses him again. “I’m a queen, huh? I like it,” she purrs, “Why don’t you come in here and show me how much you adore me as your queen?”

Killian cocks an eyebrow, “As tempting as that is and it is  _ very _ , there is a strict schedule I would like to follow for today and that includes breakfast,” he reasons. 

Emma raises her pillow and sits up to make room for the breakfast tray he’s prepared. Killian picks it up and lays the tray on her lap. He removes the lid to reveal French toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage links and a pastry. He picks up the coffee pot, brings it over and comes back with cups for them both. 

“What about you?” 

Killian picks up another tray, grinning. “Eggs in a basket, pancakes and very unhealthy bacon,” he says proudly. 

“Jefferson is  _ seriously _ not going to be happy with you once we get back to New York,” she laughs, “So much bad food intake for the company’s lead model,” 

“This is our romantic getaway, Swan, and as far as I’m concerned, my vacation and I’m going to bloody enjoy it with all the meat I can get my hands on,” he reasons. 

Emma rolls her eyes and they eat up. 

~~

Much to Emma’s dismay, she and Killian shower separately. She loves taking showers with him and enjoys the sex, but this morning, Killian is really serious about sticking to his planned schedule for the day. Emma showers first and as he’s waiting for the shower to be free, he reviews his written itinerary, checking off what they have done so far and then notes the drawing on the paper with a heart. 

He pulls out a small black velvet box from his pocket and flips it open, staring at the three-stone diamond ring, the ring he hoped to give to Emma when they were at the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

He doesn’t have a scheduled time to give her a ring today and with one more day left on their trip, he doubts that he will be able to ask her tomorrow. 

His proposal will have to wait until they get back to New York. Killian wants to give her this ring once she’s able to tell him that she loves him and is ready to move forward in their relationship. Killian closes the box and puts away the ring as Emma turns off the shower and comes out in a towel, drying up. 

“Your turn now,” 

Killian comes over, kisses her cheek and then goes into the bathroom and turns on the shower. 

~~

Killian finishes his shower and quickly changes. Emma tries to sneak a peek at the itinerary, but he stops her, wanting everything to be a surprise. Emma reluctantly follows his directions as he ushers them out of the suite and walks to the nearest subway station. 

He buys day passes for both of them, then checks the printed station map and directs them to the appropriate color line. Emma still doesn’t know where they’re going and Killian seems to understand the subway system better than she does, so she lets him take the lead. They exit the station and find themselves in the neighborhood of Montmartre. 

There’s also a chocolate and wine festival going on, stalls lining the streets with various types of chocolates and wine samples. 

Killian takes her hand and they start going down the street, trying different samples. Emma finds a booth offering free red wine for lovers and an extra bottle for Valentine’s Day coming up. Two wine bottles are too heavy to carry around now. 

They continue going down the line of chocolate, occasionally drinking shots of wine and then Killian takes her to a discreet club. They’re seated immediately and a waitress comes by with menus for them. Emma opens up hers and she is shocked to read the titles. 

_ The 69.  _

_ Mars and Venus?  _

_ Double-cocked.  _

“Killian, where the hell did you bring me? I thought we were eating lunch. What is this place?” Emma panics. 

“We are eating lunch,” he reasons, smirking, “I found this place last night and I thought it would be fun to try. All their main dishes are named after different sexual positions, innuendo, or acts, but the food reviews are good. They even have some in-house entertainment,” 

“Don’t tell me someone will jerk off while we’re eating?” 

“Oh, bloody no. There’s a sex theatre in the back,” he says, “Upfront, they have karaoke,” 

Emma doesn’t know what to say. The concept is intriguing, and it is way out of her comfort zone to be in a place like this, but that’s part of the point of them coming to Paris for this romantic getaway, to free herself of these inhibitions. 

Still.

“I don’t sing karaoke,” she muses, flipping through the menu. 

Killian sighs. “Not even a duet Swan?” 

“No,” 

“Even if I serenaded you?” he teases. 

Emma bites her lip and continues looking through the menu, trying to pick up her lunch. Killian picks up his menu and starts looking through it. No karaoke, but he thinks Emma will be intrigued by the sex theater. The same waitress who gave them their menus comes back, ready to take their orders. 

Emma has a cheesesteak sandwich with Dijon mustard and rosemary red potato cut fries with melted Parmesan and cheddar cheese. She also asks for an alcohol menu. If she chooses to participate in karaoke later, she needs to loosen up. Killian orders two mini hamburgers with loaded bacon and a side of cherry pie with whipped cream on top for dessert. 

The waitress thanks them for their orders and leaves them be. Emma can’t believe that Killian brought her here. Europeans have always been a bit more open when it comes to sex and making fun of themselves, and she can see the appeal in a place like this. 

~~

After lunch and a fair amount of alcohol, Emma drags Killian to the sex theatre, curious to see what that is actually about. Obviously, there’s sex involved given the name. She finds white projection screens in a small movie theater setup. There are couples watching silhouettes of other couples performing sex behind projection screens. A theater person comes around asking people if they would like to purchase any toys to help enhance their viewing pleasure. 

“Would you like to participate or watch it ?" the manager asks. 

“Participate?” Emma questions, “You mean guests can ---?” 

“If you so desire, you can perform behind the screen. All guests must be naked and sign an agreement before participating. The agreements are not shared with anyone, and as you can see, no one sees who you are once you’re behind the screens,” 

Emma looks at Killian and he gently rubs her back. “It’s up to you love,” he reasons, “I’m in if you are,” 

“There’s no talking during this, right? We can’t call each other’s names?” she asks. 

“If you wish to preserve your anonymity, then you don’t have to use each other's names during the act,” he reasons. 

Emma hesitates for a moment and then gives in, asking for a confidentiality agreement. Once they sign it, the manager directs them to the changing rooms and that there are clean robes for both of them before entering the performance space. 

~~

Emma’s never done anything like this before and she supposes what she and Killian are about to do would fall under performance art. It’s more public than what she is used to. 

Sex, what she has with Killian, is private (excluding that romp on the Eiffel Tower) and there was even before that, on their private balcony. But this is different from those times because there will be people watching them, people she doesn’t know and they don’t know her. 

That’s probably where the thrill comes from. 

She and Killian have control over how much they want to show spectators. This can just be them making love, or raunchy, porn-level sex. It depends on their mood and how comfortable they feel with each other in front of strangers sitting behind a screen. 

Emma takes off all her clothes and puts them in her assigned locker, then slips on the robe. Killian does the same, then he comes over from behind and hugs her. “You still want to do this, Swan ?" he asks. 

“It’s scary, but what we do with each other, that’s all our choice,” she reasons and kisses him. 

“Aye,” he confirms, “I know when I started this modeling thing, I was quite uncomfortable being judged, but I’ve overcome that and quite fancy the attention now,” 

Emma giggles. “Now, we’ll have a room of undivided attention for strangers watching us,” she says, “As long as we focus on each other and how the other feels, that’s what is important,” 

Killian kisses her again, then takes her hand and leads her out to the performance area. 

The room is dimly lit and warm air conditioning is blasting above them, so it won’t feel ice age cold when they disrobe. Killian takes off his robe first and sets it aside, then walks over to Emma and slowly pulls off her, kissing her neck and shoulders. 

Emma sinks into his arms as he continues kissing and touching her upper body, tossing her robe away. She feels his erect cock behind her and moans, rubbing her aching clit. 

Killian turns her around suddenly and runs his hand around her waist and across her bottom. Emma closes her eyes and reaches between his legs, stroking his length. Killian lightly groans and then tugs her closer, kissing her. Emma starts to look towards the screen and then Killian whispers to her, just to focus on him. Don’t think about the people or who they are. 

Emma agrees, quietly deciding to push the boundaries, listening to the audience’s reaction behind the screen. The couples that are there are not impressed so far but aren’t walking about either. Emma lays down on the floor, beckoning Killian to her with a seductive smile. 

He comes over, beginning to rest his body on hers, then Emma raises her leg and places it on his shoulder. Emma starts rubbing her breasts as Killian eases into her slowly at first. He feels her, dipping his fingers into her and Emma moans, jerking herself on him. Killian kisses her raised thigh and then sinks in and out of her. Emma feels him stretching her and fondling her breasts, biting back moans. 

Then Emma starts to hear moans from someone on the other side of the screen and surprisingly, it turns her on. She eases closer to Killian, urging him to go faster. He frantically pushes in and out, eliciting louder moans from Emma and some of their audience members. 

She reaches for Killian to pull her up and he does, hoisting her onto his waist and holding onto her as Emma takes over, bouncing on him. Killian’s mouth latches onto her left breast, sucking it as she rides out her pleasures, inching closer and closer. Emma can feel the warm air conditioner on top of them and their sex begins to permeate the performance space. Emma’s orgasm hits her hard and she screams, feeling it pulsating through her body and, apparently, echoing into their audience as well...or maybe that’s someone else? 

Killian lowers her gently to the ground, kisses her temple and hugs her before going over to pick-up their robes. 

The audience calms down and slowly begins to applaud them and Emma starts giggling, exiting the stage. 

They clean up in the locker room and put on their street clothes, exiting into a separate hallway and not through the theater itself. The hallway takes them back to the front of the cafe and they discreetly exit. 

Emma still feels wired as they walk through the streets and sample more chocolate and wine from the festival. Killian feels the same but tries to maintain his cool. Emma starts looking over some cheaply priced wine bottles and settles on a red velvet sweet wine, purchasing it and then they go look for a place to sit down. Killian sets out two plastic glasses for them as Emma opens the wine and pours them. 

“That was...that was an experience I won’t ever forget,” Emma notes, referring to their performance. 

Killian smiles, clicking his plastic wine glass with hers, “Ms. Swan, you’ve gone red and the wine hasn’t even touched your lips yet,” he teases. 

Emma sips her wine, feeling a mixture of floaty intoxication and leftover arousal. She comes over to sit beside Killian and kisses him, whispering, “You  _ really  _ enjoyed that, didn’t you?” 

“Aye,” he says, “So did you lass,” 

She doesn’t deny it. Emma’s never had an audience watch her while enjoying sex, but it did give her a little buzz. “It was fun,” she admits, “and a little sexy,” 

Killian pulls her close and kisses her neck, draping an arm around her waist. “I like that you’re beginning to open yourself to new experiences, Swan,” he says. 

“Knowing that you’re with me makes it easier,” Emma continues, taking another drink of her wine, “It makes it not so scary,” 

He kisses her again and Emma spies a clock in front of them. It’s around 4 p.m. now. 

“So, I’m not sure what you have planned for tonight, but it’s going to have to be something big to top off what we just experienced,” she notes, “What do you have planned?” 

Killian smiles and kisses her. “You’re going to have to trust me love,” 

“Okay,” she agrees. 

~~

Emma and Killian stick around exploring Montmartre awhile longer, checking out The Sacred Heart basilica and climbing one hundred steps. Walking up the steps is exhausting, and they both need a break before entering the basilica. 

They enter the basilica and Emma gasps, admiring the sheer beauty and grace of it all. Emma's not a particularly holy person, but you don't have to appreciate something as magnificent as this. There's no photography allowed, so they wander around the basilica and take in as much as possible for about an hour. 

On the subway ride back to Paris, Emma naps on Killian’s shoulder. Her whole body is exhausted and she feels a mild strain in her legs from climbing those one hundred steps to get to the basilica. She could use a nice massage. 

When they arrive at their stop, Killian wakes her and they get off and on the way back to the hotel, they get a quick bite to eat from a nearby bakery. Neither of them are super hungry. 

Emma and Killian get up in their room, Emma wanting to sleep right away and then she sees a small massage table placed in their room along with a bottle of oil and fresh towels. 

“Killian?”

He smiles and kisses her cheek, “Those were a lot of steps to climb and I imagine you're still quite sore,” he reasons.

“Yeah,” she agrees, “This is for me?”

Killian pulls her close and kisses her, “ _ All  _ for you Emma and your pleasure,”

She giggles.

~~

Emma changes in the bathroom, fixing her hair and removing all her makeup, setting aside her clothes for the day. Killian’s outside getting ready for her and she’s standing there in front of the mirror, she’s reminded of that day she stole someone’s spot at the company spa. Whoever that was, must have been very grumpy and unhappy for most of the day; but Emma really needed to let go of all that sexual tension that had been building in her since she kissed Emma drunkenly that one night. 

For this treat, this massage session is dedicated solely to her pleasure. Emma checks herself one more time, then calls Killian that she’s ready. He lets her know that he’s ready for her sure and she comes out of the bathroom totally nude. Killian’s wearing only his briefs, and a towel and massage oil is ready. 

“Swan,” he says, “Please lay down and make yourself comfortable,” 

Emma walks to the massage bed and lays on her tummy. She feels so exposed and tense, then Killian bends over and kisses her softly. 

“It’s only me love,” he assures her, “Relax,” 

He kisses her cheek, then opens up the massage oil, pouring small dabs to start in his palm, then rubs them together and gently massages her legs. 

Emma closes her eyes, feeling Killian’s hands massaging away the tension in her legs. He rubs his hands up and down her legs, then works on her outer thighs before moving inward. Emma sucks in for breath, feeling him gently massaging her but cheeks and quietly whimpers. Killian grins and continues massaging her there, rubbing and brushing his fingers. Emma moans a little louder. The urge to grab his body and have him on top of her is great, but she restrains herself. 

Killian continues massaging her there and then moves to her upper body, rubbing her waist and, occasionally, thumbing her nipples. Emma feels like she’s about to scream but holds herself back. 

“Are you enjoying yourself ?” he asks. 

“Yes, hmm,” 

“Good,” he muses and stops touching her, reapplying more oil to his palms and returns to massaging her waist. 

Emma no longer feels tense, that feeling replaced by slow arousal. She wants to touch herself, then he asks her to turn around and face him. Emma turns her body and lays her back, facing him. Killian leans down and kisses her softly before resuming massaging her, starting this time with her breasts. Her breathing starts to feel ragged as Killian’s fingers massage away air pockets in her skin, then drift lower and lower to tummy, waist and then finally, touching her where she wants him. 

“Do you like it ?" 

“Hmm,” she moans happily. 

Killian opens up a second bottle and pours the new oil into his hands, rubs them together to warm it up and then applies it to her sweet spot. The oil feels thicker and even smells a bit, something sweet like strawberries. 

His fingers tickle and arouse her. Emma doesn’t realize that she's thinking about what it is, she feels Killian’s tongue licking her up. His tongue hits the right place and she feels an immediate heat. He looks up at her cheekily, winking slyly and then continues his teasing. 

Emma begins to feel tense again, but this is a different kind of tense, reaching for her breasts and gently massaging them herself. Once Killian sees that, he raises his head and pulls her legs to the edge of the massage bed. Killian pours more of that scented oil onto his hands, then pats some onto her and licks up some again. He comes up again and kisses her, letting her taste what he can. 

“What kind of oil is that?” she asks finally. 

“Strawberry Champagne,” he teases, kissing her again and then backs away, removing his boxers. 

Once Emma sees him nude standing beside her, she grins wickedly and licks her lips. 

Killian comes over and lets her have a tiny lick, then he goes back to her legs, spreading them wide and coming into her. She feels so slick already because of the massage oil and arousal. Each time he comes into her, she feels him more fully and she can’t get enough of it, or him. Emma closes her eyes again, feeling each hit build to a point until she’s seeing stars and a ripple orgasm take over her body. 

Killian pulls out and waits for her to calm down, then gently picks her up and carries her over to their bed. He lays down beside her and kisses her neck. Emma needs a moment to collect herself and then she looks at him, smiles and kisses him. 

“Did you like that?” 

“Hmm yes,” she giggles, kissing him again, “It was perfect,” 

He lays partially on top of her, feeling that she’s still aroused. “It was all for you Emma,” he reminds her, “I love you sweetheart and I want you to have everything your heart desires,” 

Emma pulls him close and kisses him, knowing finally how true his words are and how she truly feels about him too. 

“You don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready, but I thought that you should know,” 

Emma hugs him closer. 

tbc

  
  



	24. des liaisons (liaisons)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bloody fucking hell,” he breathes, looking her over.

The morning comes too quickly for Emma, and quite frankly, she refuses to wake and leave the bed on their last day in Paris. Killian seems to be in a similar state, not moving to go to the bathroom and shower. 

They sleep for two more hours, then Killian wakes first and takes a shower. Emma still doesn’t feel like moving, then her stomach gets all grumbly and she can’t ignore the stomach pains much longer. She gets up and joins Killian in the shower. He kisses her good morning and helps clean her up. Killian gets out first, dries up and changes while Emma finishes showering herself. 

After dressing, Killian starts to order room service again and then Emma’s iPhone starts vibrating. A text from Tink asks if she wants to meet for brunch. He runs to the bathroom to let her know. 

“Ask her first where she is? It doesn’t make sense to meet her if she’s really far somewhere,” she calls back. 

Killian texts Tink back on Emma’s behalf, asking where she is and she texts back that she’s staying near the Eiffel Tower. For them, it’s not a far walk to get to and would be able to meet her, or she would come to them. He texts her where they’re staying, and she says that she’ll be there in 45 minutes and will probably meet them in the lobby. 

Emma finally finishes her shower, blows her hair and changes. Killian lets her know that Tink will meet them in the lobby in about 45 minutes. She should be ready by then and, in fact, finishes dressing and putting on makeup quickly, giving them time to wait downstairs in the lobby. 

Tink comes in earlier than expected, squees when she sees them, runs over and hugs them both. 

“I’m so happy to see you two!” she cries, “Jefferson already left for Milan a couple of days ago and I’ve just been going around Paris on my own,” 

Emma smiles at her, “We did that a little too,” she says. 

They start walking outside and Tink directs them to a nice breakfast place nearby. They order a meal between three of them and a pot of coffee. 

“The Paris show went well,” Tink starts, “You saw the selfie,” 

“I still can’t get over that, but it’s awesome, I’m also proud of you Tink for handling it,” 

Tink blushes slightly. “Jefferson and Alice helped me get through it. I must have had at least two panic attacks during it, but I survived. How have the two of you been?” 

Emma hugs Killian. “We’ve been good, Paris has been treating us well,” she muses. 

“I understand some things have to be private, but you at least saw some places, right?” 

“Aye, we went up the Eiffel Tower, all the way to the top if you could believe it,” Killian recalls. 

“With  _ her _ ?!” Tink questions, looking at Emma, “You’re terrified of heights!” 

“It was scary at first, the top is very tight, but it is a speculator view, especially at night,” 

Their food arrives and the waiter takes away the coffee for a refill. 

Tink smiles thoughtfully at her Emma and Killian. “I’m glad that you’re enjoying yourselves and I’m especially proud of you Emma for climbing the Eiffel Tower,” she says. 

The three of them enjoy breakfast and more coffee, Tink recounting the places she’s seen. Killian sits back and listens, joining in when appropriate. Lunch and after lunch talk runs into 11:30 local time, Tink pays for lunch, they part ways and Emma and Killian return to their hotel room. 

Neither of them has a plan of what they want to do. They could stay in and just take it easy, it is their last full day in Paris, but Emma feels like they should do something. 

Once they get back to the suite, Killian starts researching art galleries nearby. Then he starts seeing ads for local clubs and bars. They haven't really been to the club yet. 

“How about going to a club?”

Emma peaks over his shoulder at his iPhone, actually considering it. She had been to her fair share of clubs back in New York, but that was mostly for quick in-and-out hookups; never anything serious. She had an itch, and someone would be willing to help her out. She never gave her real name, though, always a different alias to avoid the papers and gossip columns. 

“What do you think, love?”

“Lets do it,” she declares, then goes to the bathroom to get ready. 

~~

Killian gets ready quickly but still has to wait for Emma to finish in the bathroom. She's doing something there and then takes another shower. Bloody hell. He’s not annoyed, just curious. 

When the shower stops, Emma comes out wearing two towels, one around her body and the other on her head. She picks her dress from her luggage, smiles at him and returns to the bathroom. 

He waits.

And waits.

Killian switches on the telly, flipping through the channels and trying not to get bothered by Emma taking her time in the bathroom. 

Finally, she announces that she's ready. 

Killian turns off the telly, getting out of bed as Emma comes out of the bathroom wearing this tight, semi-sparkly short and strapless black dress. But that's not even the best part.

Emma's long blonde curls are gone, replaced by fiery red dye and smokey eyeliner and red lipstick.

“Bloody fucking hell,” he breathes, looking her over.

Emma giggles, twirling for him and showing off her outfit and hair. Killian takes her hand, stops her from twirling and kisses her. “I never pictured you as ginger, but I like it  _ a lot _ ,” he teases, “And this dress, I quite fancy it,” 

“Come on,” Emma leads him out of the suite and they go downstairs. 

Some of the male attendants in the lobby stop what they’re doing once Emma walks through, wearing that dress and seeing that red hair. Killian smirks and puts his arm around her, happy that these blokes don’t get to accompany this beautiful swan. 

They find a club nearby in a discreet location. The line to get in isn’t very long, and after checking their IDs, the bouncer lets them inside. The space inside is big, with a dance floor, tables, booths and some couches. There’s a bar for food and drinks and a catwalk above the dance floor for privacy and more tables. 

Emma finds a comfy, private spot for them near the dance floor and Killian goes to the bar to order some drinks for them. He’s shocked when the bartender turns around, and he looks like he shouldn’t be old enough to be working there. 

“Hello mate, like to order some drinks for my lass and meself,” Killian starts. 

The bartender hands up the menu and continues wiping down the counter. He orders Dark and Stormy for himself and a blueberry mojito for Emma. Killian sits there at the bar and the bartender gives him a bowl of mixed cashews to eat while he waits, and he can’t help but be curious about the bartender. “How old are you, mate ?” he asks. 

The bartender starts laughing. “27 actually,” he says. 

“American too,” Killian muses, “My brother owns a bar in Manhattan, and I get free food whenever I stop by,” 

“Your lady is American too?” 

Killian smiles. “She is that gorgeous redhead over there,” he says, pointing Emma out. 

“She is something,” the bartender admits, finishing off their drinks, “My father owns this place, hence why I’m working here. This is actually a part-time job for me. I go to night school three days a week,” 

“What do you study?” 

“Right now, nautical science,” he muses, “My father thinks it’s kind of silly, that I should find something else but I like it, for now. Name’s Liam,” 

Killian shakes his head. “Liam, huh? That’s funny, my big brother’s name is Liam too,” he notes. 

Liam shrugs, handing him Killian the drinks he ordered. “I don’t visit America often, but I do have some friends in New York, and maybe next time I’m in the city I’ll stop by your brother’s bar,” he says, “Have a good time.” 

“Thanks mate,” he says and brings the drinks over to Emma. 

Killian kisses her as he sits down next to her. 

“I saw you talking to the bartender,” 

He doesn’t comment and instead shakes his head, looking over at him and then to Emma. Killian’s not sure why, but he feels like that kid is familiar to him somehow. 

~~

After drinks, Emma feels weird. 

The dance floor is pretty sparse, but then again, it’s still early in the day, but the dark corners on the catwalk above them are very appealing. She leans over and whispers to him. Emma walks away first and Killian leaves their drinks alone and follows Emma upstairs. 

There’s a catwalk above the dance floor and then there’s more sitting space with dark corners, and he can totally see the appeal of wanting to come up here. Emma leads him to a dark corner and once his back is to the wall, she starts kissing him passionately. 

Killian looks around briefly to see if anyone else is up here with them and they appear to be alone, which is good because he wouldn’t be able to roll up Emma’s tight skirt and slip his hand down her panty hose and thumb her growing wetness. Emma moans and bucks her hips against his fingers, pulling him deeper. 

“I want you  _ so _ much,” Emma moans into his mouth between kisses. 

Killian kisses her back, feeling how much she wants him with each touch. In these dark spaces and no one bothered them, and with little distraction from downstairs, they could totally do something. It wouldn’t be their first time having sex in public places, and the mere thought of it, is very tempting. Emma’s breathy moans don’t help, and he’s starting to feel an ache too. 

“Oh bloody hell,” he curses, unbuckles his pants, unzips his fly and moves aside his thong. 

Emma smirks and bites her lip, seeing him wearing a thong. “Did you do that for me?” she teases. 

“I can’t exactly remove my pants and boxers while in public,” he counters, “This seemed easier.” 

Emma licks her lips, kisses him again, then kneels before him, taking him into her mouth. Killian gently strokes her red locks as she sucks on him, those red lips making him burn. This doesn’t happen nearly as much as he would like, still, Killian keeps a wary eye for anyone who might venture upstairs and see them. But oh god, Emma’s lips are killing him with ecstasy. 

Emma gives him one last lick and then stands, moving away before he cums. Killian finds a napkin nearby and helps clean her mouth, then kisses her. 

A hot beat starts playing downstairs and more people start filing into the club and begin congregating on the dance floor. Killian reaches around her back and on her but, still feeling high from earlier. Emma feels it too pulsating through her veins. They stare at each other then turn around, noticing a nice purple couch steps away from them. 

Perfect. 

Everyone else is still busy downstairs dancing and mingling, and not a soul has ever bothered to come upstairs to the catwalk above them. 

Emma kisses them, then walks over to the purple coach and lays them down, beckoning him over. Killian comes over and joins her, lifting her dress and lowering her panties. The space is still dimly lit around them, no one will notice, and anyway, the music below is so damn loud that it will cover up any moans or sounds they might make. Killian sets Emma’s panties aside, spreads her legs and dives right in, giving her the same satisfaction that she gave him moments earlier. Emma starts mewling softly, rolling her hips as he licks her. 

“Softly now, Swan,” he cautions her. 

Emma agrees. 

Killian continues licking her some more, then stops, backs away and lowers his cock into her. 

It feels throbbing for both of them, but that doesn’t stop Killian from pounding into her. Emma feels the first rise of the orgasm and pulls Killian close, kissing him to muffle her screams. The first one hits her hard and barely has time to recover before another hits her, followed by a tiny third. Killian feels all three and comes out of her slowly, laying on top of her. 

“Bloody hell,” Killian breaths. 

“I know,” she agrees and kisses him. 

Killian moves to fix his clothes and Emma finds her underwear, putting it back on and fixes her dress. This really has become quite a romantic getaway with their sexcapades, but Emma doesn’t mind, somehow feeling free and more open about her desires. 

“I think we both need ice water,” Emma reasons. 

“Wait here, love,” he says, gets up and runs downstairs to the bar. 

Liam’s there attending to customers and there’s another man with him, tall, black hair. 

“Excuse me, I need two ice waters mate,” he says. 

“Here you go,” Liam manages, giving him two glasses of ice water. 

As Killian reaches for them, the other man turns and looks at him, and Killian stares back at him oddly. He recognizes those eyes he’d seen then decades ago... “Father ?” 

“Father? Dad?” Liam asks, looking at him. 

“Oh bloody hell,” Killian curses, looking at the bartender and then to him, “This is  _ your  _ place?” 

Brennan leans onto the bar table, looking between his boys and sighs. “Liam, I need a double-shot,” he says, “I can’t believe that you’re here in Paris, is your brother with you?” 

Liam’s about to talk then stops himself, remembering that Killian has an older brother. 

“Of all the places I imagined I might bump into you, this is the last place I expected to find you father,” Killian starts, “As charming as this mini-reunion is, I have a lady waiting for me,” 

Brennan stops him from leaving though. “Wait Killian, I think we need to talk,” he starts. 

“I think I have one day left on my romantic getaway with the woman I love and I’m not about to waste precious time I could be spending with her, to talk to you,” he retorts. 

“Killian,” Brennan tries, “I just want you to know that I’m sorry for abandoning you boys, it was a stupid and selfish choice I made and I’ve regretted it for a long time,” 

Killian glances over at Liam behind the bar, then to their father. “Of course you do, or at least you’ve told yourself that for decades to assuage your own guilt. You could have come back for us at any time, but you stayed away because your happiness was the only thing that mattered,” Killian seethes, “But it doesn’t matter anyway because  _ we  _ moved on without you,” 

Emma comes to the bar and puts her arm around Killian protectively, staring at Liam and Brennan. 

“Sorry love, I was just about to bring us those waters,” Killian apologizes. 

“It’s fine,” she says, putting together the identities of the man in front of her and the boy behind the bar. “Come on Killian, let’s go,” she tries to drag him away, but Brennan introduces himself. “Brennan Jones and welcome to Des Liaisons and your name Mademoiselle ?” he asks. 

“I know who you are,” Emma bites back, “Killian’s told me enough about who you are and how you left him and his brother with nothing, and I have absolutely zero interest in giving you my name,” 

Killian doesn’t say another word, letting Emma take him away from the heated confrontation and leave the club. It was a nice place for a while until he learned that his father was the owner. Before they leave, though, Liam runs up to them. 

“Wait brother,” Liam calls after him, “Please wait, Killian,” 

Killian turns around reluctantly and looks at him. 

“I just wanted you to know, I had an idea when we met earlier who you were, or that somehow we shared the same father,” Liam says finally, “I understand that you have good reason to hate him for what he did to you and our brother, but um, I have a genuine interest in getting to know you and the rest of our family.” 

Killian looks at Emma and she smiles at him softly, feeling that his brother’s request is truly sincere. 

“Aye,” he agrees, “What he did to Liam and me, it shouldn’t affect us getting to know each other,” 

Liam smiles at him and Emma hopefully. 

“The next time you’re in New York, give me a ring and we’ll talk,” he says. 

“And you can show him Liam’s bar,” Emma adds. 

“That won’t be awkward, meeting another man who shares the same name as me,” he jokes. 

~~

Killian’s quiet as he and Emma walk along the Seine. He’s been quiet since they left the club and Emma knows why. Seeing his father again after more than a decade of absence wasn’t easy for him, or finding out that he started a new life and a family away from him and Liam. Now that Killian has two brothers named Liam, it’s awkward, redundant, but he can adjust to that. 

It’s the feeling of seeing the man who took off with all their money after their mum died that he hates. 

Emma finds a bench and they sit together, Killian staring mostly at the water. 

“You want to talk about it?” she asks him finally, holding his hand. 

“When mum died, I was 13, and Liam was older. Fathe--Brennan stayed with us for a while, then one day, I woke early to make breakfast and I thought, maybe he’s sleeping in because he did that a lot after mum died. Then Liam came downstairs and said that he was gone. I didn’t believe him at first, then I checked his room and he left, took all our money and all his belongings and just left us,” he recalls, “Liam was old enough that he became my legal guardian and could look after me. He had to drop out of school and find a steady job so we could keep the house and he could support me. Liam wanted to become a musician and he put those dreams on hold so he could take care of me, and he could have resented me for it but he never did. Instead, we put the blame on our father,” 

Emma puts her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she cries. 

“It’s not your fault." 

“I know, but I understand the anger,” she reasons, “I don’t know what happened to my parents and I remember going through different feelings about what happened to them as I grew up. I remember the anger and resentment in my early teens, then hopefulness that maybe they did want me but something kept them from keeping me, then despair...I remember all the stages of grief before I got to acceptance,” 

“When did you get there?” 

“I think it happened after I had Henry,” Emma reflects, “I know it was traumatic what happened to me but having Henry, it gave me some clarity and direction because I knew that I wanted better for him because that’s what he deserved,” 

Killian sighs. “I think I feel more anger towards him for what he did rather than knowing that he started this other family,” he muses, “I have two brothers now named Liam, Liam the elder has a British accent like me and the younger is American, but both Liam’s are bartenders,” 

“That was a funny irony,” she notes. 

“Have you tried to look for your parents, Swan ?” 

“I did once when I was a little older, but I just ran into dead ends. My parents were the reason I came to New York in the first place because I read in my file that they lived in upstate New York, but I didn’t have the money to travel there, so I had to settle for New York,” she reasons, “Then, I met Neal and you know what happened,” 

“Killian,” Emma starts, “I’m not making excuses for your father, but maybe it's a good thing that you know what became of him now, so you can put that part of your life behind you and move on. You can have a relationship with your brother and you don’t have to include your father in it,” 

“Easier said than done,” 

“Maybe but I think you can make it work if you want to,” she continues. 

“I’m just thinking about all the pain I buried after he left, Liam was forced to do the same too, and now all of it is coming to the surface again,” 

Emma kisses his cheek, “But now you can heal, you both can,” she reasons. 

“Too bad you can’t find your parents or make proper closure with Henry’s father, and then you can move on too finally Swan." 

Emma shrugs. “If it’s not meant to be, then it isn’t and I know that a part of me is still scared to admit my feelings to you Killian but spending these last couple of days with you, it’s also brought me some perspective on our relationship and where I want things to go between us,”

“Really?”

She smiles at him. “I know that I’m getting closer every day to moving on from my past and looking forward to a future with you,” she muses, “You’re so special to me Killian and I know when I’m ready to tell you how I truly feel, there’s nothing I won’t hold back from you,” 

He kisses her forehead. “If you’re not ready to say it Swan, I can wait. It won’t change my feelings for you,” he promises. 

Emma hugs him tightly. 

~~

Emma and Killian stay out awhile longer, sitting on the bench along the Seine, at least until it gets really dark and both of their stomachs are grumbling. They find an outside restaurant nearby for a romantic dinner. Patio lights hanging above them as they wait for their food. Today has been quite the day from high emotions to extreme lows. 

But through it all, Killian has one constant: his wonderful, beautiful and understanding Swan sitting across from him. She’s his anchor. 

If Emma hadn’t come along and stepped in during that confrontation with his father earlier, Killian’s not sure what he would have said or done. He bottled up that anger for decades, keeping it at bay for a long time, and then Brennan Jones was standing in front of him so he could have unleashed hell upon that man if he wanted. 

The waiter comes back with their food and as they start eating, Killian thinks about the ring back in their suite, the ring that he desperately wants to give to Emma. 

He would propose to her now if he had it with him, but he also remembers that he wants to hear her first say ‘I love you’ before he proposes. He hopes to hear those words from her soon because he knows that he wants nothing else than to spend his life by her side. 

tbc


	25. au revoir paris (goodbye paris)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Emma,” he groans. 
> 
> “Shhh,” she cautions him, “I need this Killian, please,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm posting this chapter early since I have my bridal hair updo trial on Friday afternoon after I finish my work. Expect another early chapter post the week of Oct. 2, since that is the day before my wedding. 
> 
> Think of this as my early wedding present to my loyal readers. Love you all!

There’s no time to go sightseeing the following day. 

Emma and Killian wake early, have breakfast, return to the room, shower and start packing their things. Check out for them is at 2 p.m. and their flight to return to New York is at 4 p.m. 

Since they finish packing earlier than expected, Emma rings the front desk and asks to send someone to their suite to help carry down the luggage. A bellman comes to their room and helps bring down their luggage to the lobby, then Emma asks if they can safely store it for a bit. 

They still have some time for a quick lunch somewhere before they have to go to the airport and check-in. There’s a small bakery nearby and they could pop in there to buy sandwiches for a quick lunch and then promptly return to the hotel to retrieve their luggage and call for a car to take them to the airport. 

It feels like this trip has gone by so fast and as exhausted as Emma is, she’s excited to see Milan and get started on preparing for a fashion show there. 

That is, until she receives a text from Tink that the show has been canceled. 

Emma immediately calls Tink for details. She’s not angry, just more curious. 

“I understand what the word  _ cancelled _ means but is there a reason why our show was cancelled?” Emma asks, skipping pleasantries. 

“The event planner says that they’re overbooked and there’s no room in their schedule to accommodate us,” Tink reasons, “Sorry Emma,” 

“What about Killian and mine’s plane ticket?” Emma continues, “I don’t mind spending time in Milan but…” 

“I’ve already checked with the airlines and rebooked your flight to return to New York,” Tink says, texting her with the new itinerary. 

Emma sighs. “Fine,” she concedes, “I’ll call you when I get back to New York,” 

She hangs up and Killian looks over at her. “Our Milan show was canceled,” she says finally, “We’re going home instead,” 

Killian rubs her back soothingly. “Sorry love,” he says. 

“Tink said that the Milan show is overbooked and that we couldn't be accommodated, but the last time I checked before I left New York, we had a spot and there was no problem." 

“Maybe the event planners overlooked something. It happens,” he reasons. 

Emma lets it go for the time being as their car arrives. The driver comes out and helps with their luggage and they get in the car, Emma double-checking the new flight itinerary. The drive to the airport is mostly quiet except for Emma giving the driver information about their flight, so he knows where to drop them off. 

The drive to the airport is under an hour and they find the check-in counter easily. Emma asks to check their new flight information and make sure nothing new has changed. She’s still bothered that the Milan show was canceled. After check-in and re-checking details, she and Killian go to the terminal and wait for their flight. 

Something isn’t right. 

Emma knows it. 

Their Milan shows have never been canceled before. The organizer always makes room for her collection and Emma just can’t understand what has changed. Their flight starts boarding, they’re in business class and get on board first. Killian helps put away the remainder of their luggage and settles in. The stewardess comes by and Emma stops him. 

“I need help setting up a WiFi connection, it’s kind of an emergency,” she says. 

“I’m sorry mademoiselle but WiFi is not permitted at this time or during the flight. We’re going to be taking off shortly, but in-flight entertainment will become available,” he says and continues checking luggage compartments. 

Emma starts huffing. 

Killian reaches over and kisses her hand, smiling. “Calm down lass,” he reminds her, “We can figure out what happened once we get back to New York,” 

“Something isn’t right Killian,” she reasons, “We never missed the Milan show and the Paris show was such a hit,” 

He shrugs, sighing. “I can’t say what truly happened, but we won’t know anything until we get home,” 

She reluctantly agrees. 

~~

Emma tries her hardest to relax and keeps her cool for the rest of the flight, but she can’t stop thinking about the cancellation of the Milan show. Everything seemed perfect, Jefferson was on his way to Italy to help with the setup, and she would eventually join him and Tink to finalize preparations. 

Until she received that text from Tink that it had been canceled. 

Now, three hours into the flight and there’s all this confusion and anxiety that’s bubbling inside her and she needs to stay cool. Problems happen all the time in the fashion business, it’s not unusual for something to go wrong. She turns to Killian and tries to rest her head on her shoulder, shutting her eyes. 

She needs to sleep and just calm down in general. 

But there’s this energy inside of her that needs a release. 

Emma glances back at the empty bathroom, then leans over to Killian and whispers, “Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes,” 

Killian doesn’t respond and clears his throat as Emma stands and goes to the bathroom. Killian waits five minutes, then unbuckles his belt and joins Emma. As soon as he’s locked inside with her, Emma kisses him frantically, hurriedly loosening his belt and unzipping his fly. 

“Emma,” he groans. 

“Shhh,” she cautions him, “I need this Killian, please,” 

What she needs is to talk, rant and yell about this Milan cancellation. “Emma,” he says again, “Emma, sweetheart, stop,” 

She looks up at him, lips quivering and on edge. “I just hate this, I hate not being able to do something to fix this situation,” she cries, “I was looking forward to showing you off in Milan, introducing you as my lead model and inspiration and maybe continuing our romantic getaway there too,” 

Killian kisses her forehead and rubs her back. “I didn’t realize I was an inspiration to you,” he laughs. 

“Killian, you’re everything to me,” she reminds him. 

Killian kisses her, then starts fixing his pants. Emma turns around and checks her makeup before exiting the restroom. Killian leaves first, then Emma follows. 

~~

Six hours later, Emma and Killian finally touch down at JFK Airport. Home sweet home New York. Emma’s starting to feel better about the missed Milan fashion show and is just grateful to be home. They pick-up their luggage at baggage claim, and on their way out, she spots Will, Henry and Anastasia looking for them. 

“Mom! Mom!” Henry cries and launches himself into her arms, hugging her tightly. 

“Oh, I missed you kid,” she cries, hugging him tightly and kisses his forehead. 

Will helps Killian with luggage, introducing Anastasia. “That’s right, you two have never met before. Killian Jones, my girlfriend, Anastasia Tremaine,” 

“A pleasure to meet you, Killian,” she says. 

“Nice to meet you too,” 

Emma hugs Ana, exiting the airport. 

Will hails shows a stub to a valet and he goes to fetch their car for them. “How was Paris then?” he asks, looking at Emma. 

“Paris was beautiful,” she muses, leaning into Ana, “The best romantic getaway ever,” 

Ana giggles, then calms herself down as their car pulls up. Will gets in the driver’s seat, and Ana helps Killian with luggage, storing it in the trunk and calling them to climb into the vehicle. Henry catches up with his mom on what’s been going on with him, school projects and how he did on that civics project. 

“A+,” he says proudly, “The class loved it. The whole interview was a hit,” 

“That’s great Henry,” Emma says. 

“Emma, a pair of porcelain swans, arrived at your house the other day from the charity auction you attended before the trip. I set them aside in your living room,” Will adds. 

Killian smiles at her softly, with that raised eyebrow of his. That was the night they got together. Emma thanks Will, then starts to feel drowsy, that jetlag kicking in earlier than expected. Will drives to Emma’s house straight away, helping them unload their things. Emma thanks Will and Anastasia for picking them up. 

“I’m going to drop off Ana, then bring over Henry’s things,” he says, checking out. 

Ana kisses Emma’s cheek and hugs her. “Welcome home, darling,” she says, joining Will. 

Henry hugs his mom one more time, then runs upstairs to his room, leaving her alone with Killian. Killian comes over and kisses her. 

“Looks like jet lag is hitting you hard, lass,” he notes, “I’m feeling it too. I think I’ll head home,” 

“Killian wait,” she calls after him and he turns to face her, “Stay here with me?” 

“For tonight?” he questions. 

“Or you  _ stay  _ here with me,” she continues, biting her lip, “I have an extra room here, you can keep your things here and then make a trip later to bring everything else,” 

“You sure that this isn’t jet lag, because it sounds like you’re asking me to move in with you?” he counters. 

Emma shrugs. “The jet lag is rough but I am asking you to move with me,” she reasons, “I want you to move in with me and it’s a step towards wanting a future with you,” 

“Are you sure Swan?” 

Emma comes over and kisses him. “Yes, I’m sure. I want us to start a life together now,” 

“What about  _ the other thing _ ?” 

“ _ The other thing _ ?” 

“The thing you still haven’t admitted yet,” he adds, “I love you Swan, I truly love you and want nothing more than to share a life with you, but I need to know first how you feel about me before moving forward. I need to know that your feelings are true,” 

“I told you in Paris and when we were on the plane. You’re everything to me, Killian,” she reminds him, “I am getting there and it takes baby steps. Let that be enough,” 

It breaks Killian’s heart to admit this, but he wants more, he wants the whole happy ending and Emma admitting to him finally that she loves him. But he’s also not ready to walk away from this relationship either. He still has her engagement ring. 

“Killian?” 

“I need time to think about this Swan,” he says finally. 

“Okay,” she sighs. 

~~

Killian takes his luggage and brings everything to Liam’s flat, letting himself inside. He’s too jetlagged to start unpacking and sorting everything. He leaves it in his room, locks the flat and walks to  _ The Jolly Roger _ . He finds his brother there talking with a brunette, well, the brunette doing all the talking and Liam nodding occasionally. 

“Liam?” he asks, interrupting them. 

The woman turns and she smiles excitedly, hugging Killian. “Oh, welcome home, Killian !” Anna cries. 

“Yeah, welcome back to New York, Anna. When did you get here?” he asks. 

“Two days ago,” she says, “Elsa sent me an email that she was expecting. I would have come home earlier, but all the flights back to New York were booked. When I heard you were in Paris, I would have stopped there if I could while backpacking across Europe but planning never worked out. I’m so excited to be an aunt, babysitting, the spoiling, everything,” 

Killian looks at his brother and Liam rolls his eyes a little. Anna is Elsa’s baby sister, but sometimes she can handle a lot. 

“We also have a place in town,” Anna continues. 

“ _ We _ ?” he questions. 

“Kristoff and me, he’s my boyfriend. We met while I was traveling,” Anna recalls, “It’s close to yours and Liam’s place actually,” 

“Really?” 

“The next unit over,” Liam muses, “Elsa’s also moving into our flat,” 

“But what about my room? There are only two rooms,” 

“It’s okay, Killian. We have a spare,” Anna adds, “You can stay with Kristoff and me,” 

“Liam!” he growls. 

“Not now little brother,” Liam cautions him, making him a drink, “How was Paris?” 

Killian sighs. “Paris was...it was  _ good _ ,” he says, “Emma and I had a good time,” 

“That’s good brother,” 

“Other things happened too when we were in Paris, but we can talk about that later,” he muses. 

~~

Jet lag takes a few days to get over. 

Emma recovers faster than Killian, making it into the office and checking in with Tink about the recent going-ons. Not much has happened since Tink broke the news to her about the Milan cancellation, but Tink also has no idea how to break it to Emma, the real reason why that showing was canceled. 

Emma considers maybe staying half day, ordering some coffee and a light lunch. Killian comes in a little later, still dealing with jet lag himself but is able to work. As soon as he sits down, Tink asks him to come to her desk. He comes over and gives him some headphones already plugged into her Mac. 

“So, I uh, I want to preface that I didn’t know about this until I got back here. But apparently, by the time I got to the office, this video had already spread to our friends in Milan,” she says, pressing a link in her email. 

A video pops up from an intimate get-together on a balcony, the audio isn’t very good and it takes a second for him to pick-up but the man and the woman in the video...it’s him and Emma, on their balcony in Paris. 

“Bloody hell,” he breathes. 

Tink pauses the video and looks at him. “I understand that your relationship with Emma is private, along with your sex life but...that is you and her, right?” she asks. 

“Aye,” 

“ _ Shit _ ,” Tink cries, “I was hoping that it was a fake. I sent our friends in Milan an email message that this wasn’t real and it’s all one big misunderstanding,” 

Killian checks the timestamp and looks for other watermarks on the video, something that would let him know of the source. He never recorded a video of himself and Emma on that balcony. What they did, it was private, just between them. 

“Who sent this to you, Tink ?” he demands. 

“It came from someone who was in the suite next to yours. I tried googling the email address and who it's linked to but I couldn’t find anything, he or she is a ghost,” Tink whispers, “I could involve some IT but I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s only been sent to me but I don’t think Emma’s seen it yet, though she has access to my email server,” 

“JONES!” Emma calls, coming out abruptly from her office. 

He and Tink stare at her, and Killian gulps. Emma stares at him and Tink, then demands that they talk privately immediately. Killian walks into her office and Emma glares at Tink, ordering her to halt all calls and incoming mail. Emma slams the door and orders Killian to sit. 

Killian sits quietly, watching as Emma sits calmly behind her desk, tapping a pen before turning her iMac towards him, playing the video. 

“What the hell is this?” she cries. 

“I...Tink just showed it to me,” he manages. 

“I’ll admit jet lag is rough, but the people in this video --  _ that’s us _ on that allegedly private balcony in Paris,” Emma fumes, “But it’s not private, is it? Because there’s this video of us fucking on the internet. Our contacts in Milan saw this, this video is why they cancelled our appearance for fashion week there. They felt it was bad publicity for one of their star guest designers to be the star of her own sex video,” 

“Emma…” 

She holds her hand, stopping him, “I’m not done,” she interrupts, “There’s more to this. This video wasn’t just sent to this office, it was also sent to gossip magazines around New York and it has now been viewed by almost everyone in New York as well. It’s amazing that when I showed up for a half day today I wasn’t bombarded by the paps, asking me for comment on it; granted, that’s probably because of hair dye, no one recognized me as blond from the video,” 

Killian doesn’t know what to say. He has no words to defend himself. The balcony, sex on the balcony, was his idea, but it never occurred to him that someone else could be watching them and that their dalliance could get out. 

“SPEAK!” 

“I was trying to ask Tink who sent this to her before you called me inside,” he says finally. 

Emma flutters her eyelashes, still unfazed. “You expect me to believe that this video didn’t come from you? No one else knew where we were and you were the one who insisted that I join you on that balcony, when you knew that I’m scared of heights,” she retorts. 

“I didn’t do this, Emma, you have to believe me. I wouldn’t hurt you like this, not after the time we spent together in Paris,” 

“I’m not sure what to believe. This video is real, it’s definitely us fucking each other and the source has to come from somewhere,” she reasons, shutting off her browser, “What’s even worse than this video is the humiliation, the fact that it’s another scandal that this company doesn’t need,” 

“Emma, I didn’t do this,” Killian repeats, “I love you,” 

Emma shrugs, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m not so sure I can believe that either because if you truly love someone, you don’t hurt them like this!” she shouts back, “Love isn’t supposed to hurt, right? That’s what you told me and look what’s happened?!” 

“I know that’s what I told you, but I also believe that if our love is true, we can overcome this too,” 

“Except we can’t.  _ I can’t _ ,” she reasons, raking her hand through her still red hair, “I thought that I could trust you with my heart, I opened up so much to you, let you break down all my walls and then you hurt me in the worst possible way. At least with Walsh, when I found out, that was a private humiliation. The truth came out later in the gossip column about what really happened,” 

“But this -- this is on the Internet for all the world to see. It’s ruined this company’s reputation and it’s...another disappointment,” she cries, “I wanted to have it all with you and I actually believed for a time, that kind of happy ending was possible for me,” 

Killian stands suddenly, leaning over her desk. “Emma, what are you saying?” 

“Your employment here is terminated, effective immediately,” she says finally, “We’re done, too. I never want to see you again,” 

“Emma, no, please, DON’T DO THIS!” 

She shrugs. “I don’t have any other choice,” she reasons, “I have to find a way to contain this and hopefully salvage whatever good standing this company has left in the media. Please leave,” 

“Emma,” 

“GET OUT!” she shouts, “I won’t ask you again!” 

Killian sighs and starts to leave, then turns back to her. “Wait, before I go, I need to know something. Answer me this and then I’ll go,” 

“What?” 

“Do you love me?” 

Emma stares blankly at him, tears glossing over her eyes. She knows how she feels about him, she’s known since Paris, but that’s over now, as they are. “I don’t,” she says simply, “Pack up your things and leave the premises immediately,” 

Killian doesn’t believe it, but a promise is a promise. He storms out of her office, picks up his things and quietly leaves. Tink watches him go, then races into Emma’s office for further instructions. 

“Ms. Swan?” Tink asks, iPad ready. “Do you need anything?” 

Emma doesn’t say, still shaking with anger. 

~~

There’s only one place for Killian to go, Liam’s bar. He only hopes that when he gets there that Anna is gone because he doesn’t feel like dealing with her cheery mood at the moment. 

First, he learns that his room has been taken by Elsa and now he’s been fired and broken up with the woman he loves. He couldn’t even defend himself, and he had never seen Emma so furious before. It’s like what happened between them in Paris, never happened at all. 

Thankfully when he arrives at Liam’s bar, Anna is gone. Liam’s shocked to see him out of work early. Killian pulls up a stool and asks for a really strong drink. 

“Bloody Hell Killian, what happened? Why aren’t you at work?” he asks. 

“What work? I was fired,” Killian retorts, “And dumped,” 

“What?! Why?” 

Killian knocks the counter. “I need something strong first,” 

Liam starts mixing something and listens as Killian tells him about the video, of a private moment between him and Emma on their romantic getaway in Paris. Liam finishes the drink and gives it to his brother, readying a second. “I’m sorry Killian,” he sympathizes. 

Killian takes out the ring box from his pocket and puts it on the counter. “Guess I won’t be needing this then. You can give it to Elsa if you like. I know she’s most likely expecting a proposal from you, seeing that she’s pregnant with your child,” he reasons. 

Liam smiles at him thoughtfully. “Thank you little brother, but actually, I found a ring for her while you were away,” he says, “You keep it,” 

“I doubt that I’ll actually be able to give it to her. It took me a long time to move on from Milah, and I thought that I had found something good with Emma,” 

“You did brother,” Liam continues. 

Killian takes a long sip of what Liam made for him. It’s vodka with something else. “If it were true love, she wouldn’t have let me walk out of her office and out of her life,” he reasons, “All I found was misery,” 

~~

Emma leaves work early and returns home. She’s in no mood to continue working half day and would prefer to be alone, sulking and feeling miserable away from the office. The calls haven’t stopped and her inbox is filled with questions regarding the authenticity of the video. 

As soon as she comes into the house, Will comes down to meet her. 

“Oy, lass, jet lag still bothering you?” he asks. 

“Jet lag is...I need rocky road and alcohol, preferably something really strong and lots of rocky road. I’ll be in my room,” she says, going upstairs and shutting the door behind her. 

Once Emma gets to her bedroom, she drops onto her bed and clutches her pillow, holding her face into it and screaming. Her scream turns into a loud cry, her whole body shaking. 

Will knocks on her door and she quickly cleans up, putting the pillow back in its place. He comes in with a tub of rocky road, two bowls and a bottle of red wine. He sets everything down on her coffee table and pulls up a chair next to her. 

“Right, so the last time you requested rocky road, it was after you found out about Walsh and Regina,” Will starts, “I can’t imagine lightning would strike twice but did Jones cheat on you while you were in Paris?” 

“Rocky road first,” Emma demands. 

Will opens up the tub and starts scooping up the rocky road into a bowl. 

“Three scoops please,” 

He adds two more scoops and hands the bowl and spoon over to Emma. 

Emma scoops up a spoonful of chocolate rocky road and eats it, feeling the brain freeze immediately. “Damnit! How long has that been in the fridge?!” 

Will checks the date. “It’s still good,” he says, “So Jones, what happened? Why are we eating rocky road?” 

Emma eats more ice cream, feeling less of a brain freeze. “I think love hates me,” she says finally, “Or God does,” 

Will gives himself two scoops of ice cream and starts pouring them both wine. “What happened then? Because when you came back from Paris, you were happy,  _ really  _ happy,” 

She shrugs. “Just another disappointment, the story of my life,” she says flatly. 

“Gonna need more specifics than another disappointment,” Will says. 

“Why? So you can track him down and punch him?” she retorts, “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, Will, I do, very much, but this is my problem, not yours.” 

“Not my problem?” he counters, “Emma, I’ve known you for eleven years. I’ve gotten to know Henry for just as long, and in that time, I’ve spent working for you, you’ve become a family to me. So yes, I want to track him down and give him a good whipping for hurting you,” 

Emma sighs. “If he’s anywhere right now, he’s probably at his brother’s bar, the _ Jolly Roger _ ,” she reasons, “It’s not far from here,” 

“Alright then,” Will says, takes another bite of his ice cream and leaves. 

tbc


	26. Collision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, is this the office of Emma Swan?” he asks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You all are getting double chapters posts tonight because I have a phone call with my wedding planner tomorrow afternoon and then of course, the Friday after that is my wedding rehearsal day. This is my wedding "thank you" present to all of you.

Tink is feeling exhausted, having to go through her email and sorting messages pertaining to that video. 

This is quite possibly the worst scandal that this company has had to deal with and yet she feels sorry for Killian. She knows that he didn’t do this, he couldn’t. He loves Emma and is sure that he wouldn’t do something like this to purposely hurt her. 

There’s something else going on. 

Tink stops sorting through e-mail and shifts to trying to track down the source of the video. As she’s looking, a visitor in a trench coat comes to her desk. 

“Hey, is this the office of Emma Swan?” he asks. 

She looks up at the stranger, sighing. “If you’re a reporter, we’re not giving any comments on the video. Ms. Swan gave strict instructions not to say anything until we can confirm its authenticity,” 

The man smiles slightly. “I can confirm it,” he reasons. 

“You? How?” 

“Because I filmed it,” he says, “Neal Cassady. I need to speak with Ms. Swan. Is she available?” 

Tink studies the man carefully. She feels the urge to reach across her desk and slap this man's face but restrains herself. “If you want money, you're not getting it,” she seethes.

“I don't want any money, I just need to speak with Ms. Swan,”

“Well, she's not here. She left early today,” Tink huffs.

Neal grins. “Look, I know that you know how to contact her, so if you could please give her a call it would be much appreciated,” he says. 

Tink sighs, then backs down, calling Emma's house number. 

~~

Emma has a really bad headache, her head feels like it's pounding and that's either because of her crying, the rocky road ice cream or red wine, or all of them. She's also out of rocky road and in no condition to go out and buy herself a carton. 

There's also a ringing, constant ringing sound like a phone.

She sits up and looks at the phone. The house phone is ringing. Emma checks the caller ID before answering. “I said that I didn't want to be disturbed, Tink.” 

“I know, but there's a man here looking for you."

“If it's a reporter, call security and let them take him away,” she muses.

Tink sighs. “I think you might want to come in and talk to this guy. He says that he can authenticate the video...he doesn't want any money, just wants to talk,”

“I’m not in the condition to talk,”

“I know, you're not in the right state of mind at the moment but you really need to come to the office and see this guy,” Tink urges. 

Emma rubs her forehead. “Fine,” she agrees, “I’ll be there when I can,” She hangs up and Tink looks at Neal.

“She will be here shortly, please take a seat,”

Neal takes Killian’s seat and Tink quickly googles his name, seeing what she can find on this guy while she waits. 

~~

Killian still feels this weight on him as he sits at his brother’s bar, having spent the last hour telling Liam about meeting their father in Paris as well as their half baby brother. It does feel better to talk about something else other than his broken heart. 

“I always hoped that he would die in a gutter somewhere, penniless,” Liam says finally. 

Killian takes another drink. “Or drown in a river,” he adds, “We both had ill feelings towards him,”

“For good reason Killian. That man took all our money and abandoned us,”

“I’m not making excuses for what he did but this kid, he’s our brother Liam,” Killian reminds him, “I know father is an arse but our brother, our baby brother, he’s not like him,”

“You want to have a relationship with him?”

Killian sighs. “I invited him to come to New York, when he's here visiting friends,”

“You what?”

“Just him. He knows I want nothing to do with  _ our  _ father,” he says.

Liam grumbles, more annoyed than anything else, and Killian resumes his drinking. 

Someone taps his shoulder and he barely has a look at the person before he gets punched in the face and falls to the floor. Liam comes around the counter to help up his brother, glaring at his attacker.

Will rings his fist, then reaches down and offers his hand to Killian. “Yeah, sorry about that, reflex reaction,” he says. Will puts down some money and orders some rum and ice for his hand. 

~~

Liam comes back with two ice packs, one for his brother and the other for Will’s hand. Both men nurse their bruises. 

“You saw Emma, I take it?” Killian asks, placing the ice pack below his right eye.

Will takes the other pack and puts his fist in it, taking a long swig of his rum. “Aye, she asked me to bring her rocky road and strong alcohol. You think you're in a worse state, she's trashed. That woman is not a pretty sight when she's upset,”

“I know. I was in her office, she fired and broke up with me,”

Will sighs. “Emma can be calm and warm but never provoke her temper, she's a spitfire when she's angry,” he reasons.

“Why are you here, Will? Here to rub it in that I shouldn't have crossed her?”

“I’m not here for that. I’m here because I care about Emma and think of her like family, and I want to know what the bloody hell happened. If you're an arse, you’re an arse, but if that's not the case, I need to know that. So I'm giving you the chance to tell your side of the story,” 

Killian stares blankly at him, glances at Liam; he only shrugs and Killian puts down the ice pack. “I’m innocent in all this,” he says.

“Aye, so tell me what it is that you're innocent of,”

“There's a video that surfaced recently, a sex tape of an intimate moment I shared with Emma while we were in Paris. Emma thinks that I filmed it without her consent, but I didn't film it at all; someone else close by must have done it. Because there is no way I could do something like that to her, I love her,”

Will stares at him for a long moment and takes a long drink of his rum. “That is really bad, mate,” he says. 

“I didn't do it,”

“Calm down mate, I believe you,” Will assures him.

“ _ You do _ ?”

“I’ve been watching you for months, and I know you couldn't hurt Emma. I know what true love looks like, I have it with my Anastasia. It's a rocky thing love, but so is life. I also know that you're nothing like Walsh and that's a bloody good thing, he’s a monkey,”

Killian sighs. “Could you tell Emma that you believe me?”

“No,” he says, “Because I have a feeling that the truth will come out eventually and I suspect whoever is responsible will be feeling Emma's wrath,”

~~

Emma's headache starts to subside finally as she comes back to the office. She rather hoped to stay home for the rest of the day and hide out in her bedroom to nurse her broken heart. She could stay there for weeks if she could, but the office wouldn't let her.

“I’m sober for the moment, but I also don't know when the aspirin will wear off,” she says, not seeing the man at Killian’s desk. 

Tink clears her throat and gestures towards Neal. Emma turns around, looking him over and then looks back at Tink. “Who is he?”

“Neal Cassady,” he says.

Emma looks at him again curiously, trying to pinpoint how she recognizes him, but her mind is hazy. 

“Okay, this is obviously not a good day for you so I’ll make it easy. A yellow Volkswagen bug, backseat,” he says.

Emma finally takes off her large sunglasses and looks at him, flashes of that night coming back to her. “Neal,”

“Yeah, it's me,”

Emma looks to Tink. “Hold all the calls and give us a moment,”

~~

Once Emma and Neal are inside her office, she closes the blinds and sets down her sunglasses, then walks over calmly and punches Neal hard in the face, followed by a strong knee to the groin. Neal falls to the ground in pain as Emma sits calmly behind her desk and waits for him to recover. 

Tink rushes in to make sure everything’s okay and is shocked to find Neal on the floor, curled up. “Um, do I need to get ice or something?”

“No need Tink, you can leave us.”

Tink exits the office. Neal still feels sore but manages to stand, sitting in a chair opposite Emma.

“So, you're the one who filmed the sex tape,” she says, “What is this? You couldn't get enough of me eleven years ago, now you need to watch a tape of me getting off so you can?”

“I didn't know it was you,” he retorts. “I’m a freelance photographer and videographer. I record stuff and sell it gossip mags. They pay good money for celebrities acting out. I was on vacation in Paris when I heard that a big-name designer was on a private retreat with her lover,”

Emma shakes her head.

“I rented the room next to yours, wasn't really sure if I would get lucky and then you came out onto the balcony and...you know what happened,” he reasons, “I played back the video once, didn't get all the audio but I thought the quality of the video was good. I forwarded it to  _ The Mirror _ . Negotiations for compensation weren't even brought up. He just ran with it,”

“ _ The Mirror _ , that's Sidney Glass’ magazine,” she muses, “And Sidney is Regina's lackey. She gave him the go-ahead to run the video on his website,”

Neal shrugs. “I guess that's what happened,” he agrees, “I came here because I wanted to apologize for the video and for what I did in the back of that Volkswagen. I know there's no excuse but I was really drunk and high that night,”

Emma laughs. “Funny, that's not what I recall. You were sober and knew exactly what you were doing,”

“It might have worn off after a point because once I realized what I was doing to you, I took off,”

“I should have kneed you twice in the groin,” 

“I deserve that,” he accepts.

“So what do you want now? My acceptance, you want to be absolved of your crime?”

“I don't deserve that, but I read that you have a son, he's eleven now and I need to know--is he mine?” 

Emma stares at him, shaking her head again. “My son is not your concern, and if you want to have a relationship with him, that's never going to happen either,” she says.

Neal sighs. “Figures,”

“Did you expect that I would have a soft spot for you? You raped me, Neal!”

“I had to at least try. The other thing I wanted to talk about is that video. I was never properly compensated…”

“I don't do blackmail,” she says flatly. 

“No, I wasn't...I wanted to file suit against  _ The Mirror  _ and I’m willing to help you get Regina because I’m done hurting you Emma,”

Emma asks that he wait outside and for him to send in Tink. Tink picks up her iPad and goes into her office, keeping an eye on Neal as he sits down at Killian’s former desk. “What do you need?” she asks. 

“I need you to make some calls, and I want to verify his story before we proceed,” Emma starts. 

Tink smirks, handing her the iPad. “I already started on that. His story checks out, and uh, there’s other sketchy things in his past too,” she says. 

“I know, I’m part of it,” Emma reasons, “We sort of have a history, but this looks good. I think you know who you need to call,” 

“Who should I get a hold of first?” 

“Him,” she says. 

~~

Emma lets Tink make her first call and while she waits alone in her office, Emma pulls up the video link again and clicks play. She can only watch for a few seconds before closing it and then takes out her iPhone, tapping her caller call favorites. Killian’s at the top of the list and she smiles solemnly, looking at his picture. 

She was so angry with him earlier, she didn’t want to listen to his pleas that he was innocent; she just reacted and now she knows that he is truly innocent in all of this. Emma needs to talk to him as soon as this is finished and everything is good again but she doubts that he will listen to her. Her temper is an unpredictable one. 

Tink comes back to let her know that Sidney is on his way to the office to meet her. He may take awhile though. Emma thanks her, then quietly excuses her. Tink’s about to leave, then notices that she’s looking at her iPhone contacts and Killian’s pictures. 

“You can make things right with him,” she says. 

“That would be nice, except I said a lot of nasty things to him before I fired him,” Emma muses, “I was so angry that my instinct to attack overwhelmed me that I wouldn’t even let him defend himself,” 

Tink puts down her first assistant role, comes over and hugs Emma. “We all say things we don’t really mean and I know you were coming from a place where Walsh hurt you, and that’s why you lashed out at him,” she reasons. 

“Except it wasn’t just Walsh, it was…” Emma starts and Tink looks at her, “It was Neal too,” 

“I know, he’s Henry’s father,” she says and Emma looks at her worriedly, “If it wasn’t the video, it had to be something else but it’s okay, your secret is safe with me,”

Emma smiles at her. “Your support is greatly appreciated, Tink,” she says, “But I’m not sure about Killian. I didn't just fire him, I dumped him, and worst of all, I let my anger guide my reaction rather than listen to what he was telling me,”

“True,” Tink concedes, “But I still think that you should talk to him. If nothing else, he deserves the truth and vindication that he is innocent,”

Someone knocks and Tink goes to answer. 

“Emma Swan, I’ve been told that you’ve been expecting me,” he says, “Sidney Glass,”

Tink looks at him, then to Emma.

“Yes, I have been expecting you, Mr. Glass. Please come in, sit and let's have a little chat. Tink, please leave us,”

Tink nods and quietly leaves them. Emma offers him a seat and he takes it as she sits across from him, smiling politely.

“You run an interesting little business, Mr. Glass,” she starts.

Sidney blushes. “We are a small business, but lately, we’ve found that it is starting to pick up. Article subscriptions are insane,” 

“Really? What would you say is your most popular article at the moment?”

“There's this video of this blonde woman and her lover fucking each other on a private balcony. The woman is allegedly a big-name fashion designer here in New York, and rumors have it that the man is a new model in her company. My staff is still looking into verifying the identities of the people in the video,” he says.

Emma studies him curiously and calmly. “So you never verified who your subjects were, just posted it without checking your sources? How do you know it's not a fake?” she wonders.

“There are ways to tell. Human behavior, unadulterated sexual attraction you can't fake and the intensity from these two, there's no acting involved. It's exactly the kind of thing that sells subscriptions,”

Emma taps her fingers on her desk, looking at him coldly. “So your business, it's a gossip column?” 

“We capture celebrities at their worst, mostly behaving badly,”

“So you don't check or verify your sources when you receive a story or video? You have to be hit with a lot of lawsuits,” she muses.

Sidney smiles. “Very little actually, most of what is posted has no consequences. Since no one complains, we don't change the content,” 

“Do you know about privacy laws in France, Mr. Glass? It's something new that started, mostly to deter stalkers and for the safety of individuals,” Emma starts, switching on the video and showing it to him, “This balcony was meant to be a private one and then that privacy was violated when this video was taken without consent, which is also a serious crime in France,”

Emma picks up her phone and asks her to bring in Neal. Tink comes in with Neal a moment later. “Exploitation and conspiracy to engage in, is also a punishable crime; which means you could face a long time behind bars all because you were too happy to post a video that you didn't bother to verify,”

Sidney looks worriedly at Emma and Neal. “ _She_ made me post it! She was convinced it was her rival...I wanted to double-check but she wouldn't let me!” he cries. 

“ _ She _ ? Who's that?”

“Regina Mills,” he says, “I know she doesn't have a good reputation, but she's a wonderful woman,” 

Emma smiles at him, glancing at Neal. 

“You should have verified the video because it's fake, it always was,” Neal lies. 

“I also found that most of your traffic is spam bots, which make up most of your subscribers. The video has also been taken down already, and soon, all of Ms. Mills's assets will be liquidated. This video is one step too far,” Emma adds. 

~~

Regina Mills is feeling really good about herself, evilly good. She thought when she tried to catch Emma in a dalliance with one of her models that failed, that she wouldn't have another chance to ruin her rival. 

Then Regina received that video from Sidney and it seemed too good to be true. She watched it on her laptop four times and then wrote back to him to post it immediately, but to be safe to say that identities cannot be verified and also send Emma's office a link. Let them scramble to put out this PR nightmare.

She privately emailed the video to Emma's contacts in Milan and gleefully waited for their response, and it was as she suspected; they were not pleased at all and took Emma's name off their showlist. 

They didn't give it to Regina, but still, the fact that this video stopped Emma's Milan show makes her really happy. Things can only get better for her here on and out. 

“You look wickedly happy sis,” Zelena comments, coming into her sister's office and sitting down.

“Today is a good day and the beginning of Ms. Swan’s fashion career,”

“That right?” Zelena muses, “Speaking of the lady Swan, her assistant called not too long ago and requested on her boss’s behalf that you come to her office immediately,”

Regina smiles. “I got her finally...you think she grovels? I so want her to beg for mercy,”

Zelena shrugs. “I have no bloody idea what she wants. You go, take your time and I’ll watch things here while you're gone,” 

Regina thanks her sister, picks up her purse and leaves. Zelena smiles wickedly, stands up and goes behind her sister's desk and sits in her chair. It is a nice throne for an under deserving queen. She picks up her sister’s phone and calls Walsh.

“Has she gone yet?” he asks.

“Just stepped into the elevator with an evil smile,” Zelena reports.

“I’ll be right there,”

“I’ll be waiting for you my little sex monkey,” 

~~

One down and two to go. 

Sidney has been dealt with, Regina is on her way and then, of course, there's still Neal. Emma doesn't really know what to do with him. Emma could press charges against him, but she doesn't want Henry to know. 

With the #MeToo movement and all politics these days, it would be immensely overwhelming for her to rehash everything and Emma doesn’t want to put Henry through all of that. He deserves better. 

“Do you need me to stay after Regina comes?” Neal asks.

Emma looks at him seriously. “I don't want to hear or see you again. I went through so much crap because of you, so much I had to push away to give myself a chance at happiness. I won't let you destroy what I have,” she fumes.

“I messed up your life, I got that, but you should know that I genuinely loved you,”

Emma sighs. “I thought I loved it too, but now I see, it was only a daydream. I know what true love feels like now and after you leave, I’m going to fight with everything I have to get it back,” 

~~

“What do you know about Henry’s father?” Killian asks Will, as Liam pours him another glass. 

Will shrugs, smirking. “Very little, if you can believe it. When I started working for Emma, part of the requirements was that I never ask about Henry’s father. The lad’s tried to ask me a few times though, if I knew anything but I can’t say that I do because Emma never volunteered the information,” he reasons, “Why ask mate?” 

Killian shakes his head. “I always felt that there was something more Emma wasn’t telling me about him, why she could never tell me that she loves - loved me,” he muses. 

“You think that Emma doesn’t love you?” 

“Do I have a reason to think otherwise?” he counters. 

Will takes a drink. “You are a bloody idiot, Jones,” he laughs. 

Liam smirks but doesn’t say anything. 

“The last time she was in a serious relationship, it was just a rocky road when she found out about Walsh. This time, she asked for strong alcohol too,” Will reasons, “She skipped the bloody Paris fashion week to spend a romantic getaway with you. That woman hasn’t given herself a private vacation ever since she started that company and she misses, on purpose, one of the biggest shows in the fashion industry to be with you. She took Henry to school and skipped an actual workday to do that; when I’m only a phone call away. She learned how to be an actual person when she was with you, Jones,” 

Killian still doesn’t believe it. “If she truly loves me, how come she could never say it?” 

Will shrugs. “I know a lot of things about Emma Swan and there are things I don’t know about her, but I fancy that she’s probably been hurt one too many times to believe true love is something possible for her and saying  _ I love you  _ to someone else, is bloody terrifying,” he reasons. 

~~

Emma wishes that she could be at two places at once. Her heart wants to look for Killian, tell him that she was wrong and that she wants him back. 

But this is one last thing she has to do, deal with Regina and, seriously, what is taking that woman so damn long? She checks with Tink again and Regina still hasn’t arrived yet. 

Finally, Tink comes into her office, escorting Regina. 

“Ms. Swan,” Regina starts, “A pleasure as always to see you.” 

Tink backs out of the office, leaving them. Emma rolls her eyes with false enthusiasm. She also doesn’t need to play dumb with her. “The fashion industry is a funny thing,” Emma starts, “I always thought of all of us as one big family, we fight, we collaborate and sometimes amazing things happen. I never wanted to be your rival Regina, so I have to ask -- why do you continually attack me?” 

Regina takes a seat, raising an eyebrow at her. “I never thought it was fair how you broke onto the fashion scene overnight, practically a success, while I was still trying to make a name for myself,” she reasons, “I’ve been in this business longer than you Ms. Swan, I should have been the star from the beginning, but you became the darling favorite. It wasn’t fair,” 

“And Walsh?” 

“Walsh was a casualty of me wanting to get the inside scoop on what made your fashion house a success while my sales continued to slide year by year,” Regina muses. 

Emma turns on the video -- she hopes for the last time and turns her laptop around to her. “And this?” she demands, “Could you get any lower?” 

“It’s you, though,” Regina reasons, “I admire your taste, he is a hot one and can totally see the allure,” 

“He didn’t deserve your cruelty Regina, as he didn’t deserve my wrath when I fired him,” Emma cries, “I already scared Sidney into taking it down and your company assets are being liquidated as we speak...I didn’t want it to come to this but you went too far this time,” 

“I’ll keep coming after you…” 

“You can try but everyone knows the fraud that you are and continually coming after me is fruitless, not to mention pathetic. If you want to walk away from this office with some dignity in tact, this is what you’re going to do,” Emma advises. 

“You can’t…” 

“I think you should listen because what I’m about to say is fairly lenient,” Emma muses, “You’re going to publicly apologize to me as well as admit that this video is a fake, and that  _ The Delicious Red Apple  _ will no longer be in business, badly damaged by spotty sales and scandals of your own making.” 

Regina is fuming. This is not the way she imagined this meeting would go.

“Finally, I won’t press charges -- that’s the incredibly lenient part of all of this,” Emma finishes. 

“I have nothing,” 

“You still have your sister for the time being,” Emma adds, “I know some things about her too, but I think it would be more interesting if you find out what those bits are on your own. I’m done with us being rivals Regina. I never wanted it, all I wanted was to give my son a good life and happiness. That’s all I cared about at the end of the day,” 

“Tink will show you out. There’s somewhere I need to be right now,” 

tbc


	27. True Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know that you don’t believe me, so I’m just going to have to prove it to you,” she continues, “I believe you now, that you were innocent all along,” 

title: the debut (ch27)

Chapter Title: True Love

There isn’t much Regina can do. She’s completely ruined, her company is wrecked and her credibility in the fashion industry is gone. Things could not possibly get worse for her...

Until she walks into her office one last time and finds Zelena half-naked and Walsh fucking her like a monkey. 

“What the hell is this?" she cries. 

Zelena opens an eye, looking at her sister while she's on the verge of a climax. “Oh, there you are Regina...have a good meeting with the lady Swan?” she asks, feeling the heat growing inside, “Bloody hell, faster my little monkey,” 

Walsh side-eyes Regina and grins wickedly. 

“Walsh?” she manages. 

“Don’t be so surprised Regina,” he says, fucking Zelena as hard as he can, “We both know that I’ve never had your undivided attention, and Zelena’s just wickedly amazing,” 

“I want to fly Walsh,” Zelena screams, “Let me fly!” 

“So when I couldn’t find you at the after party, you were with her?!” 

Walsh shrugs. “You neglected me Regina and admit it, I’ve always been nothing more than your boy toy. You were never serious about me, but at least as Zelena’s little sex monkey, she appreciate my many talents,” he reasons, thrusting harder into Zelena and finally striking that nerve that sends her flying. 

Regina can’t believe it, and somehow, she can. 

Zelena pulls Walsh in for a long, passionate and needy kiss, laughing wickedly. 

Regina finds her composure. “I hope you have a sanitizer because I am not touching that seat ever again, lord knows how many times you’ve used it in my absence, and anyway,  _ The Delicious Red Apple  _ is no more. We’re done,” she says. 

“Just as well,” Zelena muses, “I was starting to get bored with your antics,” 

~~

There isn’t any place left for Regina to go except to find the nearest bar to  _ The Delicious Red Apple  _ and dull her pain. 

She needs a memory potion or something to remove the image of seeing her sister and her former lover banging each other in her office, and then remembers, this is probably what Emma felt like when she walked in on them enjoying sex. It is a truly humiliating and numbing feeling, not that Regina had any real feelings for Walsh. 

She never did and he was right, she had become so focused on beating Emma that she failed to see her neglect. Now, Regina is left with nothing and starting at the bottom. She sighs, finding herself in front of a nearby tavern with a curious name:  _ Robin’s Arrow _ . 

What the hell? 

She can use a good drink. 

Regina walks in and curiously studies the place. She’s not the drinking or bar type but on this really low occasion, she’ll make an exception. And then she sees the bartender, a handsome tanned man with blue eyes and a little scruff. He notices her, smiles and she comes over. 

“What can I get for you m’lady?” he asks. 

Of course he’s British. 

“I need something really strong to erase the misery that I’ve been through in the past couple of hours,” she says. 

“Bartender’s are good for listening, we’re licensed therapists without the license,” he smiles, “Do you mind talking about it?” 

Regina laughs, “Drink first and then I’ll think about it,” she says. 

He makes her an Apple Crisp, a mix of vodka, spiced whiskey and maple syrup but before he gives it to her, he asks her name. Regina’s too exhausted to fight him. 

“Regina,” she says, “Drink?” 

“Robin,” he says, giving her the drink. “So Regina, why are you in a miserable state?” 

Regina takes a drink first of her cocktail, licking her lips at the mixture. “I lost my company, my reputation is ruined and my sister has been apparently sleeping with my favorite sex toy,” she explains, “And my rival won again,” 

“Rival, really? How old are you again?” 

“The fashion business is serious business,” she snaps. 

“Fashion rivals,” he sighs, “Now that make sense. Women’s fashion?” 

“Men’s,” she says, “I’ve always wanted to be on top and Swan made it faster there than I ever could and she kicked me to the bottom, again, for the last time,” 

Robin sighs. “Why does it matter to you if you’re on top or not? What does it matter what someone else thinks of your talents?” he counters and Regina takes a long drink, “My point is, did it really make you happy to take someone else down a notch or two?” 

“I was happy for a time until I wasn’t,” she retorts. 

“Have you ever been in love?” he wonders. 

Regina tries to recall a time she was ever in love and quite honestly, love has never been a factor in her life. She had always been preoccupied with succeeding and taking down Ms. Swan that she never took her own personal happiness and sanity more seriously. 

“Maybe it’s time to focus on yourself, what truly makes you happy,” Robin continues, “Maybe finding love and your own inner peace is what you need,” 

Regina looks at him honestly and smiles softly. “I’m not sure if love is in the cards for me, it’s not like sparkling pixie dust is going to point me in the right direction,” she jokes. 

“You don’t need magic, just make the magic yourself,” he reasons. 

“Are you flirting with me?” she teases. 

Robin smirks. “Maybe,” he says shyly, “I happen to find strong women who like to be on top very attractive,” 

Regina smiles and blushes red. 

~~

Emma needs to find Killian. 

Getting through the last hour and a half hasn’t been easy but at least everything is back to normal, or close to it. Regina hasn’t put out her statement yet but she’ll worry about that tomorrow. Now she needs to find Killian and talk to him. 

There’s only one place she knows he could possibly be at the moment and runs towards  _ The Jolly Roger _ , confident that she’ll find him there. 

Sadly, when she gets there, he’s not there. Liam sees her and she comes over to the bar. 

“Where is he?” she asks breathlessly. 

“You just missed him actually,” he says, “Your nanny too,” 

“What? Will was here?” 

“They both were and now, they’re gone,” Liam says, “The reason why you’re looking for him all of the sudden…” 

“I made a terrible mistake,” she cries, “And I need to fix it,” 

Liam sighs. “My brother suffered a broken heart before when he was in college and I thought that he would never fall in love again, then he meets you and all that changes...then you throw him away at the first real test of your relationship…” 

“I messed up, I know,” Emma says flatly, “That’s why I need to find him,” 

“I’m right here love,” Killian says, coming out of the bathroom with Will beside him. 

Emma glares at Liam and he smirks. “I never said that he left the premises,” he muses. 

She walks over to Killian, out of breath and smiles. “I’m sorry,” she says. 

“A bit late for that love,” he reasons. 

“Killian, I know that you didn’t do it,” she continues, “It was Sidney, Regina and believe it or not, Neal,” 

He looks at her curiously as he sits back down on his stool. “Neal?” 

“I think we should take a walk, talk somewhere privately,” she suggests. 

“Couldn’t hurt mate,” Will agrees, “I should be on my way too and pick-up Henry from school,” 

~~

Killian’s not really in the mood but he agrees to leave with Emma. She hails a cab and one pulls up, Emma goes in first and Killian follows her. “ 350 5th Ave, please,” she orders. 

“Where are we going Swan?” he asks. 

“It’s kind of a surprise,” she says. 

Killian shakes his head. “I’m in no mood for surprises Emma, not after what you said to me earlier,” he retorts. 

“I know that you don’t believe me, so I’m just going to have to prove it to you,” she continues, “I believe you now, that you were innocent all along,” 

The rest of the drive is uncomfortable but eventually, they make it to their destination and Emma pays the driver for the ride. 

As soon as Killian gets out, he’s greeted by the tallest building in New York. Emma takes his hand, smiling softly and guides him into the Empire State Building. She buys them passes for the top floor and take the elevator, the crowd thin considering it’s a weekday. 

The ride to the top takes maybe fifteen minutes and when they get there, Emma runs over to the nearest edge and holds the railing, staring down at the street below and breathing slowly. Killian comes over and stands feet away from her, waiting for her to turn and look at him. Emma finally turns around, hands off the railing and looks at him. 

“I’m terrified of heights,” she says. 

“Yes, I know Swan,” 

She looks over the side, once again staring down the building and to the street below, seeing her fellow New Yorkers walk back and forth, and then looks at him. “I’ve been scared of heights, the same way I’ve been scared of what could become of us if I ever said this,  _ I love you _ Killian,” 

Killian stares hard at her, arms crossed, his heart pounding but still…

“You said before that the person involved, the real culprit of that video..it was Neal?” he asks. 

“Neal Cassady is his full name actually,” she says, “I don’t feel like rehashing all the details but the gist of it is, he was in the suite next to ours and he filmed us on that balcony, then he forwarded the video to Sidney Glass’ magazine, and Sidney sent it to Regina, Regina told him to post it and he did,” 

“You were right, you were innocent. I’m sorry,” 

Killian sighs, walking slowly towards her but still keeping his distance. “I know that love scares you Swan but I would never, ever do anything like that to you,” he reminds her. 

“I know,” she cries, “It’s just...you know my history...all the hurt, disappointments, embarrassments...I never thought finding true love was something I could ever have, or even deserved,” 

“So you made your peace finally with Neal,” 

“It was always something I needed to do,” she continues, “I hit him and I kneed him in the groin, felt really good about that but I felt even better when I was finally able to admit my true feelings for him, that I never loved him and my reason for holding back from you, wasn’t because of him, it was because of me. I needed to let go of my pain and accept my feelings for you,” 

“And now you do,” 

Emma smiles at him, walking over and meeting him halfway. “Killian, I made a serious misjudgment when I fired and broke up with you and I know, it won’t be easy to pick-up what we had but I refuse to let you walk out of my life again. I love you, I want you and I need you,” she cries. 

Killian sighs and walks over to where Emma had been standing before. Emma follows him and looks out at the city. Suddenly, Killian takes something from his pocket and puts it on the ledge. Emma looks down at the velvet box and then to him. 

“What’s that?” 

“I think you know what it is,” he reasons, “I was going to give it to you in Paris but you weren’t in the right emotional space for it yet,” 

Emma picks up the box and opens it, revealing a diamond swan engagement ring with two blue jewels. “It’s beautiful, Killian,” she breaths, looking at him, “When were you going to ask me?” 

“The Eiffel Tower, I know it’s really cliche but I couldn’t think of a better metaphor,” he reasons. 

Emma smiles and starts to remove the ring, then Killian shuts the box on her. “Sorry Swan, it’s too late,” he says. 

“Why?” 

“Because we can never recapture what we had in Paris!” he cries, “Our relationship going forward, it will always be different because of that moment in your office,” 

“Maybe a new relationship is what we need to start over,” she reasons, “Paris will always be a favorite and beautiful memory but we can create a new life together going forward with new ones. Killian, open that box,” 

Killian hesitates for a moment and then opens the ring box again. 

Emma stares at the ring lovingly, then looks at him, taking his other hand into hers. “Ask me. Tell me what you were going to tell me when we were on the top of the Eiffel Tower,” she pleas. 

“Emma..”

“I’m ready to start over and make a future with you, Killian. I’m done holding back from you...I love you, but the big question is, do you forgive me?”

“Forgiveness takes time Swan but I fancy the idea of starting anew,” he reasons, “All I want is to make what we have  _ real _ ,”

“It is real. I love you and I promise from moment forward, to always see the best in you,”

Killian smiles at her tenderly, knowing that sentiment to be true. “And I with you,” he promises. 

Emma smiles and almost kisses him, then he stops her and removes the ring. He plays with it a moment, then kneels. “I was like you once Swan, love only brought me pain and then you helped me see what love could feel like. Being with you helped me realize that love, true love can bury any pain and bring you out of the darkness. Love can also only bring happiness and I know, standing here with you on the highest tower, there’s no other feeling that can eclipse what I feel in my heart for you, Emma. I love you Emma Swan and I hope you accept this ring as a token of my love, because you will always be my shining star,” he says. 

Emma smiles, kneels across from him and puts her arms on his shoulders. “No star could ever eclipse what I feel for you Killian Jones, and nothing ever will,” she promises. 

He smiles at her hopefully, feeling the weight of what happened between them beginning to lift. “You like it?” 

Emma leans in and kisses him. “I do,” 

Killian takes the ring and starts to put it on her finger, then she stops him, smiling. “I didn’t actually give my proper response,” she teases. 

“Aye, will you marry me Emma Swan?” 

“Yes,” she cries. 

Killian puts the ring on her finger and kisses her lovingly. There is no other feeling better than this, kissing his swan atop the highest tower in New York and knowing, it is possible to heal from lost love and find the right person. 

Emma takes one last look over the New York skyline, admiring the beauty and the magic that is her home. 

She's experienced New York in emotional phases, the beginning (at her lowest), the middle (starting over), the halfway point, (losing Walsh), and now, the end (starting a new chapter with Killian). 

Maybe it's not an end, but the beginning of something new and special. Emma smiles, watching the sun set and an old day finish. The past is the past and tomorrow will be different.

“What do you see love?” Killian asks, holding her.

“A new beginning,  _ ours _ ,”

Killian kisses her forehead and hugs her closer, admiring with her the possibilities that is New York.

tbc


	28. A New Beginning is Ours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything feels right suddenly. 
> 
> Emma feels her heart bursting with love for Killian and wants nothing more than to take him where he belongs, so she can show him how much she truly loves him. 

Everything feels right suddenly. 

Emma feels her heart bursting with love for Killian and wants nothing more than to take him where he belongs, so she can show him how much she truly loves him. 

They take the elevator all the way down to the ground floor, wanting a taste of each other during the ride. It is about 20 minutes and Emma is aching to touch him, there's also the added bonus that they are all alone and the elevator is bypassing floors and picking up other people.

“I love you Killian,” Emma breathes between kisses.

“I know love,” he chuckles, reaching his hand up her blouse and squeezing her right breast. Emma hisses, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his fly and stroking gently his cock. “Bloody hell,”

“I love you,” she says again, winking at him and giggling before she kneels down, pushing his pants to his ankles and then lowering his tight boxers. His cock springs free, Emma wets her lips, massaging him lightly at first and then takes him into her mouth. 

Killian feels an immense pleasure right away, bracing a hand against the elevator wall. His body feels tense and hot at the same time. Before he cums though, he pulls Emma up and undoes her pants and lowers her panty, coming into her from behind. Emma sinks into him, feeling him deeply and then he feels her wet spot with his needy fingers. 

“Killian,” she cries, feeling the heat from both sides of her body.

He kisses her cheek, fucking her faster from front and behind. When Emma orgasms, he cums too and they're falling together. Emma's knees feel weak and wobbly and Killian holds her up, supporting her as he continues fondling her growing wet spot. He can feel all her wetness, slippery and sore.

“Cum again for me darling,” he whispers into her hair, then plants a kiss on her ear. 

Emma closes her eyes, beginning to feel another orgasm burn within her. Killian can feel her heart pounding, her breath became ragged and that heat come to a simmer, then pops wildly. Emma sinks back against his chest, her lips dry and her body shaky. 

“Did you enjoy that love?”

“Hmm, yes very much,” she giggles.

Killian kisses her temple and gently turns her around to face him. Emma stares up at him lovingly. 

“I love you,” she says again.

“I know,”

She laughs, kissing him. “I love you Mr. Jones,” 

“Back to last names now?” he teases.

“I’d go back and start everything new with you in the beginning if I could,”

He raises a curious eyebrow, grinning.

“I’d have kissed you sooner,” she says, kissing him.

“Make love faster than we did,”

Another kiss.

“And say  _ I love  _ you from the start,”

Killian kisses her this time. “Now we can begin again,” he reasons, “A new beginning,”

“A happy one,”

~~

Emma and Killian catch a cab upon exiting the Empire State Building, and Emma directs the driver to her house. She quickly texts Will to ask if he’s home and he responds that he’s taken Henry out to dinner, with a winking emoji. 

Her nanny has a cheeky sense of humor but Emma is grateful to have the house to herself because she needs that alone time with Killian to celebrate their engagement and the new beginning of their relationship. 

They arrive at her house, Emma pays the driver and she and Killian get out. Emma unlocks the front door, lets them inside and locks it behind them. 

Emma barely has a chance to put her house key away before Killian is all over her, pawing at her clothes. Emma kisses him back happily, trying to direct him upstairs but falls, falling with him onto the steps and into his lap. They laugh together, Killian pulling her closer on his lap and catches her lips in a passionate kiss. They’re never going to make it up to her bedroom at this rate for a proper engagement celebration. 

“I want you Swan,” he breaths between kisses. 

“I want you too so badly,” she moans, biting her lip, “Tell you what, I’ll meet you upstairs in my bedroom and I’ll fix us some red wine,” 

Killian kisses her huskily. “Is that all you need?” he asks. 

Emma raises an eyebrow, “Why? What else did you have in mind, other than the obvious?” she teases. 

He kisses her again. “Give me ten minutes and then you’ll find out,” he teases back, kissing her once more. Emma gets up from his lap, allowing him to run upstairs to her bedroom. 

Emma walks calmly to the kitchen and looks through her stash of red wine, picks two glasses and brings them upstairs. She knocks on her bedroom door, Killian says she can come in and she finds him rummaging through her walk-in closet. Emma sets everything down and joins him.

“Killian, what are you doing?” she asks, spying him looking through her clothes. 

“Trying to find you something comfortable to wear,” he says, looking her over and then resumes his search. 

Emma doesn’t quite know what to say and then spots a red lace lingerie one-piece. “Fancy this?” she asks, holding it up for him to examine. 

“Aye, very,” 

Emma kicks him out of her walk-in closet to change, shuts the door behind him and he relaxes on her queen size bed, changing and mostly divesting himself of all his clothes. Emma exits her walk-in closet a moment later, wearing that red piece and also wearing red lipstick. She goes over to the wine, pops the cork and pours them both a glass. Killian stays where he is, admiring her from afar and grins. Emma comes back and hands him his glass, then gestures for him to make room for her on the bed. 

Killian starts to take a drink and then she stops him for a toast. 

“Not many people get a second chance at true love but I’m glad that I have this second chance with you Killian. I love you and I look forward to our life together,” she says. 

“Cheers love,” he agrees, clicks his glass with hers and they both take a drink. 

Emma sets down her wine glass on the night table beside her and comes over to lay on top of her fiance, grinning wickedly. Her blankets cover him but Emma knows, he’s totally naked under there and she yearns to feel him inside of her. Killian takes a long drink of his wine and sets it aside, kissing her. He eyes how she looks in that red one piece lingerie, not to mention that she has that red hair dye job. 

“See something you like?” she teases. 

He cocks his eyebrow, smiling. “That’s a loaded question Swan,” he muses. 

Emma messes with the blankets, shoving them aside so she can go under with him. Emma feels his hard erection pressed against the very thin fabric of her lingerie and rubs herself against him, eliciting a loud groan. Emma feels how warm he is and he slips a finger underneath the bottom of her lingerie to her sweet spot. Killian removes his hand from her, and helps her sit up as he starts figuring out how to remove this clothing from her body. 

“If you were just going to remove it, why bother to have me put it on?” she counters. 

Killian kisses her shoulder and her neck. “Because you look bloody sexy and I’m starting to have an appreciation for the way fabrics look on skin, especially yours,” 

Emma giggles, staying still as Killian finally manages to unbutton her lingerie and gently lower it downwards. 

Killian trails kisses down her neck and shoulders, sucking on her breasts that makes Emma arch her body forward. Killian pulls down her lingerie further, planting more kisses along her stomach and then pulls it down lower over her bottom. 

Once it reaches her feet and Emma kicks it away, Killian grins at her. Emma starts to kiss him and then he rolls her body onto the bed, straddling her instead. He leans down and kisses her neck, whispering into her ear that he forgives her. 

Emma sighs and hugs him. “Thank you Killian,” she cries. 

He kisses her hands, then kisses her. “This is a brand new beginning for both of us Swan, that includes forgiving the past and moving forward,” he reasons. 

“I love you,” 

“I love you too,” Killian whispers, kissing her again. 

Emma smiles at him, feeling enter her again. Killian doesn’t waste time, coming into her fully and it feels wonderful for both of them. He kisses her neck and right breast, then starts gyrating his hips against her. 

Emma rests her hands on his but, feeling him strike every nerve in all the right places. She can never tire of this feeling, this completeness. It's like a perfect alignment when they're together. 

Emma feels that familiar heat within her and she moves her hands to his back. Killian kisses her cheek and plants more kisses along her neck, coming into her faster. Emma feels her heart beat faster and then shoots for the stars. Killian slows down, kisses her forehead and relaxes beside her. Emma gives herself a moment to recover, looks over at him and smiles slyly. 

“Okay, now it's your turn,” she teases. 

Killian chuckles. “My turn now?”

Emma comes over and lays on top of him. “Love...us making love goes both ways,” she reminds him. 

“Aye,”

Emma kisses him, aligning her body with his and dips herself, until she's sinking onto him. Killian braced his hands on her waist, leaning up once to suck on her left nipple. Emma moans, biting her lower lip.

“Sorry love, couldn't resist,” 

Emma bends down and kisses him, beginning to slide up and down his length. She feels so full and every motion she makes, it brings her closer to that high. Emma looks at Killian’s and he is biting to hold back. 

His hands move from her waist to her arse and Emma digs herself deeper into him, moving faster. Killian groans louder and Emma can see the pressure building in his face. Emma feels it too. A few more strokes and they both fall. Emma falls next to him on the bed as he cums and Emma’s own orgasm has her shaking. 

“Bloody hell,”

Emma scoots over and kisses him. “Satisfied?”

Killian laughs. “You want more?”

Emma blushes. “I always  _ want  _ you,” she teases, “I love you Killian, you're everything to me,”

“I feel the same way about you Swan,”

She kisses him and rests her head on his shoulder, draping an arm over his waist. This is the perfect spot for her, falling asleep in the arms of the man she loves. 

~~

Emma doesn't know how long she's been napping in Killian’s arms but her iphone starts vibrating and it's a text from Will. He’s asking her if it's safe to bring Henry home because they're done with dinner now and it is still a school night. 

Emma texts that she and Killian can finish tidying some things in about an hour. Killian wakes and looks at her curiously.

“Who the bloody hell is texting you?”

“It's just Will. He and Henry are done with dinner and Will wanted to know if it's PG safe to bring Henry home,” she explains.

Killian comes over and kisses her shoulder, making her giggle. “Did you want to talk to him alone about  _ us  _ or you talk to him yourself?” 

“I’m not sure yet,” she reasons, “I will have to talk to Henry eventually..I’m just not sure what to do yet,”

“You gonna tell him about seeing his father?”

“Neal is a complicated subject for many reasons but I think Henry understands that he's not the model father,” 

Killian kisses her shoulder again. “If you want to talk to Henry on your own about us, the decision is yours. You're his mother,” 

Emma puts down her phone and turns to him. “Me settling down and finding the perfect partner is a big thing, but I have to put my son first,”

“I understand that Swan, notice how I’m not arguing,”

“I know..you just seemed upset,”

Killian kisses her. “I’m not love,” he assures her, “If you want me there when you talk to Henry, I will be there but the choice is yours,” 

Emma kisses him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulls down onto the bed and on top of her. “ _ Us  _ being together will make you Henry’s stepdad,” she realizes, “Are you ready for that?” 

“With you Swan, I can face anything,” he assures her with another kiss. 

“I love you so much,” she muses thoughtfully. 

“And I you,” 

Emma giggles, pulling him close again and feeling him come into her. This feeling will never get old with her and it's that feeling that assures her, finally, Emma Swan has found the right partner. 

~~

After another round of lovemaking, Emma and Killian start cleaning up the bedroom, redress and prepare for Henry coming home from dinner. 

Emma still hasn’t decided yet if she wants Killian to be there when she tells him about her engagement. Emma doesn’t think Henry will have a problem with the engagement, all he’s wanted for her was to be happy and love has been one thing that has been seriously lacking in her life, that he knows his mom hasn’t been happy. 

They finally finish tidying up as Will and Henry arrive downstairs from dinner. Emma can hear her son chatting with Will about his current homework assignments, which means Will hasn’t talked to him about their brief break-up. 

“Mom, we’re home!” Henry calls, taking a styrofoam box into the kitchen. 

Emma comes downstairs first, hair somewhat combed and wearing a different blouse than earlier, Will notes. 

Henry comes back and hugs her. “Did you have dinner yet?” 

“No, I haven’t,” she says, eyeing Will, “But you two had a good dinner?” 

“Cheesesteaks and fries,” Henry smiles, “There’s some leftovers if you want some,” 

“Yeah, that sounds good. You went to Granny’s, I take it?” 

“Is there any place better?” Will counters, “You alright lass?” 

Killian comes down the stairs, stops briefly when he sees them gathered at the bottom and then continues on. Henry grins, Will is not at all surprised but relieved. 

“Good to see you Killian,” Will smiles, “I best be off then,” 

“Hold on Will,” Emma stops, “I kind of want you to stay. I think we all need to talk...there’s um, a very important announcement Killian and I need to make and it affects you too,” 

Will looks between them, sighing. “Aye,” he agrees. 

Emma walks into the living room and the boys follow her. It takes a little bit of time for Emma to get started, Killian knows what she wants to tell him but she’s still nervous. 

“Emma?” Will asks, “What did you want to say?” 

She comes over and sits beside Killian, holding his hands. “Love has never been an easy thing for me, it seemed like at every point in my life, love has disappointed or hurt me in some way; that is, until Killian found me,” she starts, “Love is scary for me especially but it doesn’t feel that way anymore. I faced two of my fears today, standing atop the Empire State Building…” 

“You were at the top of the Empire State Building?!” Henry cries, “No panic attack happened?” 

Emma sighs. “Not one,” she assures him, “I also faced another fear, admitting what I’ve been feeling for a long time...for Killian. I love him, we’re in love and now, we’re going to face another big step in our relationship,” 

Will notices the ring on her finger, smiling proudly. “You have my support Emma,” he says immediately, “if anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s you,” 

Henry’s not sure what he’s talking about and then he notices the engagement ring on his mom’s finger and Henry hugs her and Killian, jumping excitedly. “You’re engaged? That’s awesome!” he cries. 

“It’s okay?” Emma asks. 

“All I’ve ever wanted for you mom is to be happy, to find someone that makes you truly happy,” Henry assures her, looking at Killian, “I’m happy for you both...how soon is the wedding going to be?” 

Emma looks at Killian worriedly. “We haven’t really talked about those details yet, this engagement just happened…” she starts. 

“I sooner would be better than later,” Killian reasons. 

“I don’t have a dress,” she notes. 

“Swan, you’re the head of a major fashion house,” he reminds her flatly, “Making the perfect dress should not be a problem,” 

“Aye,” Will agrees, “If you need help with figuring out the venue and all that, count me in. I’ve seen enough of this city over the past decade to recognize there’s some serious gems when it comes to wedding locations,” 

Emma giggles. “You’ve been looking at wedding venues?” 

“Aye,” he smiles.

~~

Killian wishes that he could stay late with Emma but he needs to talk to Liam about their engagement. He kisses her goodbye on the stoop and hugs Henry before parting ways with them. Killian walks the short block to his and Liam’s flat, helping himself inside. The apartment is quiet, then he starts to hear giggles coming from the back and he walks down the hallway, knocking on his brother’s room. 

“Liam?” he asks, partially opening the door. 

Elsa scrambles for the blankets, covering herself and Liam does the same, trying to keep a tidy appearance. Killian clears his throat, looking away from them both. “Um, so I have good news to share with you both,” he says, “I’ll be waiting outside,” 

“See you in a bit of a brother,” Liam says. 

Elsa blushes dark red, hiding her face under the blankets as Liam pulls her over and kisses her. Killian waits in the living room as his brother and Elsa clean up and dress. Elsa comes out first, followed by Liam and they sit with him in the living room. 

“So, what is this news brother?”

“We have news too,” Elsa adds, “But your news first Killian,” 

He smiles at her appreciatively, “Emma and I are back together and we’re also engaged,” he grins. 

“Congratulations Killian!” Liam smiles. 

“Wait, back together? You broke up?” Elsa questions. 

“For about a day,” Killian reasons, “There was this video that popped up, Emma thought that I filmed it, turned out to be someone else and now, we’re back together,” 

Elsa’s trying to process everything. There’s a lot that she’s missed in a day but as long as everything is back to normal and everyone’s happy, that’s the important thing. 

“So what was your news?” Killian ventures, looking between them. 

Elsa’s not subtle at all as she fixes her hair with her left hand and Killian catches sight of the engagement ring on her finger. “You’re engaged too? Liam, Elsa, congratulations!” he cries. 

“Now it looks like we have two weddings to plan,” Elsa teases, “There’s happy beginnings all around, I’m also moving in here,” 

“In whose room?” Killian questions. 

“ _ Mine  _ of course,” Liam reasons, “Elsa and I talked to Anna and her boyfriend, you’re not moving in with them. You’re staying here until you marry Emma and you move in with her,” 

Elsa pats Liam’s shoulder. “I love my sister but I know Killian won’t be able to handle sharing a place with Anna, it would drive you nuts,” she reasons. 

Liam agrees. 

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday everyone! I thought I would post this chapter early today since I will most likely be busy later, getting ready for my wedding dress rehearsal later tonight.


	29. Wedding Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ah, Emma,” Liam calls, beckoning her over, “Killian told me about your engagement. Welcome to the Jones clan, lass,” 
> 
> “Congratulations to you too,” she says. 

title: the debut (ch29)

Chapter Title: Wedding Plans

Emma comes into work the next day feeling happier than she’s felt in a very long time. It’s noticeable in her stride, her wardrobe and how truly happy she is, a big comparison to her sour mood the other day after she fired Killian. 

She reinstated him this morning but with a few changes; first, he’s no longer their lead model but will work with her full-time as her second assistant. Emma can find another model to replace him. 

The coming months will be busy in and out of office, there’s orders from their spring debut to fulfill and also, planning for their wedding. Emma could try and do most of it herself with Will’s help, scouting out places, but she figures it would probably be better to hire a wedding planner. 

Once Emma sees Tink, she asks her to research wedding planners in the area and give her a list of the top five with slow schedules. Tink’s floored at first then breaks into a big smile and hugs Emma. “You fixed things! You and Killian are back together, and you’re engaged? Emma, that’s wonderful!” she cries. 

“I know,” she says, sipping her coffee. “I need that list, can you have it ready for me later this afternoon?” 

Tink sits back down at her desk, smiling. “Right on it, boss,” she says. 

“Hmm, I also need you to put out a new advert for lead models,” Emma adds, “Killian will be working full-time as my second assistant, make sure to include that we’re also looking for female models too,” 

“Female too?” 

Emma shrugs. “I think it’s time to expand our fashion business,” she muses, “I have some ideas,” 

“Sure,” Tink adds. 

~~

Killian comes into the office later and as soon as Tink sees him, she stops working and hugs him excitedly, congratulating him on the engagement. He notices that she’s researching wedding planners in the area as well as drafting adverts for new models. Killian thanks her and goes into Emma’s office, finding her reading something on her iMac. 

“We’re hiring a wedding planner?” he asks. 

“Planning a wedding is serious Killian and I want this done right, I have so many ideas I need someone to help me sort through everything,” she says, “I’ve never done the marriage thing.” 

He comes over and kisses her. “I’ve never done the marriage thing either Swan, but if it helps make things easier on you, I suppose a wedding planner couldn’t hurt,” he reasons. 

Emma kisses him and resumes reading. 

“What’s that?” 

“Regina finally put out a statement regarding the video and the future of her company,” Emma breaths, “It’s not as scathing as I thought it would be. She heartily apologizes for the video and respectively bows out of the fashion business, looking towards other ventures instead,” 

Killian rubs her back soothingly. “Any word from Neal?” 

“Nope,” she muses, “I got my closure with him, said what I needed to say and put the past behind me where it belongs. My future is  _ you _ , Killian,” 

“Aye, Swan,”

Emma smiles. “I was looking at the calendar too about potential dates for our wedding,” she starts. 

“Weddings,” he corrects, grinning. 

“What?” 

“Liam and his girlfriend Elsa are engaged too,” he says, “Happened the same time we got engaged,” 

Emma laughs, “Wow, that is something,” she muses, “Weddings, plural. I was thinking for ours, maybe in mid-April. Do you know when your brother wants to marry?” 

“No, but I suppose they’ll tell me soon so we won’t overlap each other,” 

Tink knocks, and Emma invites her in. She smiles happily at them both again, handing Emma her iPad with a list of wedding planners available. Emma looks through the list, then hands the iPad to Killian. “I think I like this one, Ingrid Frost,” he says. 

“I think I do too,” 

“I’ll give her a call and set-up an appointment,” Tink says, leaving them alone again. 

~~

Emma takes Killian out for lunch, taking him to Liam’s bar. She’s only been here a few times; the first time she was here, she was out of place with her swan coat, big glasses and fancy dress. They say there’s a correlation between what a woman wears and her mood, and Emma knows that is definitely the case, finding softer colors more comfortable to wear as well as nothing flashy or over the top but still classy. Clothes had become an armor for her, keeping everyone else at bay as well as boxing in her feelings. But that’s changed now. 

“Ah, Emma,” Liam calls, beckoning her over, “Killian told me about your engagement. Welcome to the Jones clan, lass,” 

“Congratulations to you too,” she says. 

Killian kisses her cheek as they sit at the bar. Elsa’s working, but she’ll stop by later to join them for a proper celebration. Liam orders them drinks on the house and puts them in order for their lunch. “So, when is yours taking place?” he asks. 

“I was thinking mid-April,” Emma starts, “but when were you hoping to have yours?” 

“I think definitely before the little lad or lass comes,” he reasons, “but soon,” 

“I asked my assistant to look at wedding planners in the area, I could forward the list to you if you like,” Emma offers. 

Killian rolls his eyes and Emma kind of glares at him. “What?” she demands. 

“Nothing bad, I promise,” he assures, “It’s just really nice to see you so happy and excited about all of this,” 

Emma arches an eyebrow, smiling. “I also have thoughts about the honeymoon too,” she teases. 

Liam writes down his email on a napkin for Emma, and she can send him a list of wedding planners. Drinks and food arrive, and before they get started, Liam offers a toast. “To love and happy beginnings,” he says, “I couldn’t be happier for you little brother that you found love and happiness again. I’m so happy that you found each other,” 

“Aye,” Killian agrees, “And to my future sister-in-law and future niece or nephew. I look forward to becoming an uncle and spoiling him or her,” 

“I will be an aunt,” Emma reasons. 

“Too right lass,” 

Emma smiles happily, feeling her heart expand with love that she’s never felt before. She has Killian, Will, Henry and now Liam, Elsa and their baby; it’s a bigger family than she expected. She’s not a lost girl anymore. 

~~

Liam emails Emma a few days later with a tentative date for his and Elsa’s wedding in late March. 

Emma forwarded him the list of wedding planners, Liam and Elsa decided on René-Jean Nemo. Liam and Elsa’s first appointments with them will be over the weekend in their flat. Emma and Killian’s appointment with their wedding planner, Ms. Snow will be on Friday. 

Everything is falling into place. 

It’s mid-February now and soon it will be time for Liam and Elsa’s wedding, then hers and Killian. 

It’s scary for Emma to feel this happy and optimistic about her future, but she couldn’t be happier either. There’s so many things that she’s looking forward too, the wedding, honeymoon, what her life will be like once she marries Killian, if they want kids...

There’s so many things to consider but Emma wants it all. 

The best part is, her life will have a happier beginning.

No hurt, no lost love. 

Just a happy and secure feeling of finding the right person to spend her life with. 

She loves Killian so much and can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him, or see what the future holds for them. 

This is her happy beginning. 

~~ 

Friday comes around and Emma’s anxious, tidying up her house and preparing for the wedding planner. Killian tries to help her, but Emma wants to do everything herself, so he stays out of her way. Emma finally finishes arranging and cleaning up around 2 p.m., giving her enough time for a quick shower a change before Ms. Snow arrives at her appointed 3:30 time. 

Emma finishes her shower and changes while Killian prepares small finger foods downstairs along with some drinks. Emma comes downstairs dressed in a light blue-sundress with a sweet floral design on the hem. Killian’s setting the food down when he sees her, and smiles. She looks bloody beautiful. Hair’s back to blonde again. 

“You look beautiful Swan,” he compliments. 

Emma smiles and kisses him, doing a quick lookover of finger food and drinks. They still have time before Ms. Snow arrives, or so they think, but then she arrives early. 

Emma greets her at the door, letting her in. 

Killian comes to her side and greets Ingrid. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both finally,” she says, “I am especially honored to meet you Ms. Swan. I’ve helped coordinate many weddings in the city but never for a fashion designer before,” 

Emma blushes. “This fashion designer has never planned a wedding before so I can use all the help I can get. The dress part should be easy, everything else, I don’t know where to start,” 

Ingrid smiles. “I can definitely help you out there,” she says. 

~~

The first meeting with Ingrid goes very well, talking first about budget items (seriously, not a problem), and then moving onto location, wedding guests, the groom and bridal party; which makes Killian think about who he wants to stand with him on his big day. 

There’s the obvious choice, Liam, his big brother, and then there’s his newly discovered little brother, Liam. Emma seems to have a good feel for who she wants in her bridal party, so there are few questions from her. 

“Any questions before proceeding to the catering and food selections?” Ingrid asks, scribbling down some notes. 

“Aye,” Killian adds, “Is there a limit for how many groomsmen can have in his party?”

Ingrid shrugs, smiling softly. “Not that I’m aware of that. Are you stuck between choices, Mr. Jones?” 

He smiles. “Killian, please lass,” he corrects her, “And yes, I am stuck. I have two brothers, the elder I’ve known forever and then I have another brother...I don’t know him very well but I would like to,” 

Emma smiles at him softly, knowing that he’s referring to Liam in Paris. 

“Go with both,” Ingrid suggests, “I doubt either would tell you  _ no _ ,” 

“Point taken,” 

Ingrid checks her iPhone and it is currently 4:30 p.m. “This session has run longer than I expected it would, but that’s normal for a first-time meeting. I can get to work scouting out locations for you as well as look into catering, the dress…”

“I will be talking to my head fashion designer when I return to the office on Monday,” Emma promises. 

“Guest counts would be useful to have before I start visiting venues, so I know which place fits for what you need,” she advises, “It was a pleasure meeting you both and I look forward to working with you, getting ready for your big day,” 

~~

After Ingrid leaves, Killian knows that he needs to talk to Liam about being his best man and that he would also like Liam II to be there. 

Killian doesn't know his little brother very well and would like to; he could use wedding prep as an excuse to get to know him. He only worries about his big brother Liam and how he will take the news. 

His brother’s appointment with his wedding planner is Saturday after lunch. Liam is busy cleaning the house, Elsa will be over later which gives Killian the opportunity to talk to him. 

“Emma and I met our wedding planner yesterday,” he starts.

Liam’s dusting the place as meticulously as possible. “Aye?”

“She started talking about groomsmen and I wanted to talk to you about it,”

Liam smiles at him. “You sound rather serious about a no-brainer choice, little brother,”

“Except things are different now since I came back from Paris and met our father and new baby brother,” he reasons, “I know father is a bastard for what he did to us, but I still want our baby brother to be a part of our lives and our respective weddings, or maybe just mine.”

Liam stops cleaning and looks at him. “What are you saying Killian?”

“I’m saying that I want you both to stand up with me when I marry Emma,” he says finally, “You and Elsa can make your own choices about your wedding, but I want him to be a part of mine. I want to get to know him and who knows? Maybe one day he'll leave Paris and live here in New York? He’s already got the bartending skills,”

Liam sighs, shaking his head. “I suppose it will be interesting to meet a younger version of me and see what he's like,” he muses, “Killian, you know I love you no matter what and the thing I’ve always admired about you is your big heart…”

“I thought you thought it could get me into trouble ”

“It does that on occasion, but it also has an amazing capacity to forgive,” he says, “If you want him to be part of your wedding party, then so be it. I’ll support you,”

Killian smiles. “You know what else this means? Now he gets to carry the torch of being called little brother and I get upgraded to younger brother,”

~~

Killian emails Liam in Paris with the news about his and Emma’s wedding in April, also that he wants him to be a part of it because he's selfish and wants to get to know him. He also tells him that Liam is getting married too bit his ceremony will be in March and it's up to him if he wants him there or not. 

He hits send, closes his laptop and goes to bed. He doesn't expect a quick response, but there is one. Killian opens it up.

It reads:

_ I don't know where to start first but I guess congratulations are in order. If Emma is the same woman you brought to the club when we met, she is gorgeous. I can't wait to meet her again.  _

_ I feel humbled that you would ask me to stand with you on your wedding day. I guess my namesake will be there too. I look forward to meeting him; there are no guarantees of us getting along, but I’ll try.  _

_ I have two months of spring break coming up, starting in March and it runs through April so definitely will have the time to visit and meet everyone.  _

_ It's nice to have an extended family. Mostly, it's been the old man and me since my mom died. I look forward to meeting everyone. _

_ Your baby brother, _

_ Liam _

Killian smiles, reads over the response and then hits a reply. He thanks him for the quick response and is looking forward to seeing him in March. 

Send.

~~

The next couple of weeks Emma gets started on preparing orders for the spring as well and talks to Jefferson about designing clothes for her wedding, more specifically her wedding gown. 

Jefferson is ecstatic when she says that she needs him to do this for her. He starts crying, tears of joy because it's been his dream to be able to design a wedding dress for her. He has Alice take measurements and then promises to have sketches ready by the end of the week. Emma's shocked that he can promise something that soon, but she also realizes that he might have sketches already made and just needs to tweak a few things. 

There's also her bridesmaids once she has her list ready. It's not a big list, with only one name on it, Tink Rose. Henry will be the ring boy of course, or maybe he can give her away? Then she realizes that someone like Jefferson is probably a better choice to give her away. She’ll ask him later. If she asks him now, he might not be able to work. 

When Emma gets back to her desk, there's an email from Ingrid that she's visited two venues and took down some notes for her. Catering will be finalized once the guest list is confirmed. 

Everything's coming together. 

~~

March .

Killian takes off from work to pick up Liam at JFK. Emma wishes she could be there to join him, but she has a lot to do at the office. The elder Liam also cannot get away from Elsa since she needs his help with final wedding preparations.

Will volunteers to come with him to the airport. Liam’s flight arrives on time and they meet him in baggage claim. Killian gives him a big hug and introduces Will. 

“Will Scarlet, Emma's nanny,” he says, “I take care of her boy,”

Liam smiles. “ _ Of him _ ?”

Will looks at Killian, then to Liam. “This one takes care of himself, I’m talking about Emma’s son, Henry. He's eleven,”

“Come on brother, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying,”

~~

There's little room where Liam can stay in the flat; although he insists that he can stay in the living room. Then Liam comes home and it's an awkward face to face the first meeting for both men. 

Liam the younger holds out his hand, smiling, “Nice to finally meet you Liam,” he says.

Liam looks at his hand and hugs him instead, to Killian’s relief. “Good to meet you too brother,” he laughs, “I didn't realize you were American,”

“Mom was American,” Liam starts, “The old man, you know who he is,”

“Aye,” he muses, “Where is he staying Killian?”

Killian shrugs, looking at Will. “I had hoped that he could stay here but I don't think we have the room,” 

“Of course we do,” Liam reasons, “We have your room. You can start moving into Emma's place and then  _ junior  _ here can take your room,”

“ _ Junior _ ?”

“Unless you prefer little brother? That used to be Killian’s nickname,”

Killian grins. “Respect the elders little brother,”

~~

After Liam settles into Killian's room and Killian has most of the stuff moved into Emma's place, he starts introducing him to everyone else. He arranges meetings and greets at Liam's bar. Emma comes in and they meet again, Liam noting this time that she's a blonde.

“Natural hair color,” she assures him, “I just wanted to try something different in Paris,”

Next, Anna and Kristoff. Elsa joins later with Liam. Will and Anastasia come to mingle. Tink stops by for a quick hello. 

Then, Ingrid makes an entrance and Liam's is taken with her immediately. 

“Liam, this is Ingrid, our wedding planner,” Killian says.

“Ingrid,”

“Ingrid Snow,” she says, “Nearly all the details are close to being finalized for your brother’s big day. Your second best man, correct?”

“Yeah,”

Ingrid smiles. “Wonderful. I’ll have to brief you on your role and responsibilities get you caught up to speed on everything,”

“Like a private meeting?”

Ingrid laughs. “If you're thinking it's a date, it's not a date and I'm very serious professional when it comes to my clients, that also includes family members,”

“How old do you think I am?”

“Age is not an issue, but if I were to venture, maybe 18,”

“27 actually,”

Ingrid looks at him over again, “Of course you are,” she reasons. 

Killian smirks, watching little Liam trying to make the moves on his wedding planner. Boy has it bad. 

~~

Liam and Elsa arrive later as everyone else is dispersing. They find little Liam sitting with Ingrid as she goes over his best man responsibilities and Liam is barely paying attention to what she's saying, instead of staying focused on how beautiful his new crush is. He barely notices Killian walking to him with Liam and Elsa. 

“Little brother,” Killian starts, “This is Elsa, Liam's fiance,”

Elsa smiles at him. Liam notices the mini baby bump and he stands and hugs her. “Pleasure to meet you finally,” she says.

“You too,” he says.

“How are you doing, little brother?” Liam asks.

Ingrid sighs, closing up her event planner. “I tried to make him listen to his best man responsibilities,” she notes.

“I listened,”

“Really? What is your job?”

“Make sure he gets to the wedding on time,”

“That's one part of it,” she manages, “Anyway, I still plan details to finalize,”

Killian laughs, taking Ingrid’s seat and the elder Liam orders drinks for them. Elsa kisses her fianceé’s cheeks and leaves for the bathroom. It's just the three of them. Silence. Then their drinks arrive. 

“A small toast to welcome our little brother to the Jones family,” Liam says.

He smiles. “Thanks man,”

They all take a drink. Silence again.

“So you’re getting married this month, I hear?”

“March 20, less than a week away at this point."

“And the kid?”

“Elsa’s due in August, a summer baby like her sister Anna,”

Little Liam nods, taking another drink of his beer. “Ingrid’s beautiful,”

“I knew you had a crush,” Killian starts.

“Elsa’s only two years older than me,” 

The younger Liam shrugs, “She’s just...wow...really beautiful,” he continues dreamily, “Those eyes and that smile…You think she’d be open to dating a young guy like me?” 

The elder Liam sighs, taking a long drink and giving Killian a look. “This is your fault, you brought him over from across the pond,” 

Elsa comes out of the restroom and stops once she sees the Jones’ brothers getting along, drinking and the younger Liam staring off into nothingness dreamily. 

As long as they’re not bickering or fighting and appear to be cordial to each other, maybe there is hope for some kind of brotherly relationship between the three. Elsa had been talking to her fiancee for months about trying to be open to his younger brother and accept him into the family, even if he doesn’t want anything to do with his father. She’s glad to see her love opening up to a relationship with his kid brother. 

Emma finally arrives and hugs Elsa, then turns to see Killian and the two Liam’s sharing drinks. “They’re getting along,” she notes, “That’s good. Have you talked to Liam about  _ Junior  _ over there being a guest at your wedding?” 

“I think that might be easier than the best man at this point, but looking at those three, I think anything’s possible. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about having Anna as my only family growing up, any place where you can find more family is a good thing. I just hope Liam realizes that too, but I think he is, he’s getting there,” 

Emma smiles at three of them hopefully. 

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am officially married now! The hubby and I celebrated one week yesterday. Posting schedule should go back to normal shortly, but then again we're also really close to the end of this fic. I also have two others that I am currently writing but as always, everything will be spread out.


	30. Liam and Elsa's Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “True love is a rare thing nowadays, but when it happens, it opens up a whole new world. From what I understand of you two, coming from somewhat similar backgrounds, growing up on your own, it was that mutual understanding that brought you together. Love finds a way and it has with you,” the minister starts, turning first to Elsa, “You have vows prepared?” 

title: the debut (ch30)

Chapter Title: Liam and Elsa's Wedding

March 20. 

Liam’s starting to feel slightly nervous as he fixes his suit and collar, prepping for his wedding. Everything about the occasion is formal and intimate. That’s not what’s bothering him, it’s wondering if he can make a good husband for Elsa and a good father for his children. 

He doesn’t doubt his love for Elsa, he’s loved her since the moment he met her and yes, their courtship has been slow to start. Almost everything they did was at Elsa’s pace and what she’s comfortable with. She is an introvert in the relationship, and he tends to fall onto the extrovert side of things. 

There’s no question that they’re right for each other, he just wonders if he’s good enough to feel even this kind of happiness and embrace it. 

On cue, someone knocks his suite door and Liam knows it’s either Killian or his baby brother. Much to his surprise, it’s the younger Liam, dressed in a dark navy blue suit that longish brown hair of his pulled back into a ponytail. 

“Do you need some help there?” he asks. 

“Just about done,” Liam manades, fixing his collar. 

Liam’s about to back out and then stops, turning back to him. “Hey, I know we don’t know each other well, but are you okay? You seem kind of nervous,” he observes. 

The elder Jones stops his fidgeting and turns to him. “This is probably isn’t the right place or time to talk about this, but did you ever wonder what your father’s life was like before he met your mother?” he queries. 

The younger Liam stares at him blankly, totally floored by the question. They haven’t really gotten around to talking about the elephant in the room (their abandonment) and he’s worried that maybe talking about it now might spoil the mood of the day’s festivities. “You sure you want to talk about this now?” 

“Did he ever talk to you about it?” 

Liam sighs, wanting to run his hands through his hair and then remembers that it’s tied back on purpose so it’s not a mess. “I did after I met Emma and Killian in Paris,” he starts, “He was so defensive about the whole thing, it just made me more angry and upset with him for what he did. You were a kid, at least Killian was, and it just wasn’t right what he did. I made sure he understood how I felt about that,” 

“Was he sorry? Repentant, at least?” 

“I’m not making excuses for him, but the impression I got was that he felt he didn’t have a choice; like somehow it was either stay and watch things get worse or leave. He took the coward’s way out, the easy way, but that doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do either,” he says. 

Liam looks down. 

“What does this have to do with today?” 

“All my life, I’ve never wanted to repeat our father’s mistakes. Family always came first for me, taking care of Killian, letting go of my dreams, finding a way to survive that I didn’t really allow myself happiness until I felt like it was something I could handle. I love Elsa so much, truly and I love our child…”

“But you worry that somehow that you’re not good enough for them because of what the old man did?” he finishes, “Listen bro, if you continue to hold yourself up to what he did, you’re never going to be happy with yourself. The past is the past, you can have a good life now with the woman you love and your baby. You don’t have to hold on anymore to what happened before,” 

Liam smiles at him appreciatively. “Thanks brother,” he manages. 

The younger Liam smiles back, “No problem brother,” he says, “Now come on, there’s a lady waiting for you,” 

~~

Church attendees are starting to get nervous, which makes Nemo nervous that something might be wrong. They should have started already, but both the bride and groom haven’t made their entrance yet. Killian glances worriedly at Emma as she sits with Henry and Will in a front row pew. Suddenly, the other Liam comes in and goes straight to the front. Nemo goes to stand beside him. 

“Everything is fine,” he says. 

Liam appears a moment later and stands by his brothers, back turned away from the guests. 

“You alright there, Liam ?” Killian asks. 

“Aye, just cold feet before, but I’m ready now,” 

Killian looks back and Elsa’s there, standing with Anna, holding her arm. 

The music starts playing and the pair of them start walking down the aisle. Everyone stands, regarding them as they pass. Elsa’s dress is shiny vanilla white with icy blue streaks and a sleeveless V-neck, lined with more ice streaks. They come to the front and the sisters hug each other fondly before parting. Killian smiles at her.

Liam breaths slowly as he turns and faces his bride. Elsa’s unusually long hair is pulled back with a couple of loose stands and light makeup. The minister asks everyone to sit and turn his attention to Liam and Elsa. 

“True love is a rare thing nowadays, but when it happens, it opens up a whole new world. From what I understand of you two, coming from somewhat similar backgrounds, growing up on your own, it was that mutual understanding that brought you together. Love finds a way and it has with you,” the minister starts, turning first to Elsa, “You have vows prepared?” 

Anna unfolds a scrap paper and gives it to her sister. Elsa thanks her, reaches for Liam’s hand and starts reading. “Like the minister said, we both come from similar backgrounds. I had to take care of Anna after our parents died and then you had to take care of Killian. We put away our dreams and focused on what needed to be done for our siblings’ happiness. Love for me, it didn’t feel like it was something that I needed. I felt scared to find someone who could love me so unconditionally and help me mature in love. Then I found you Liam and you’ve helped me grow so much, you’ll never know how much I love you and will forever be thankful for being in my life. This new life that we’re about to start together, there will be tumbles, mistakes made, but we’ll make them together and we’ll face obstacles together,” she says, smiling and teary-eyed, “I found my partner with you and I could not be happier to be with you always, sharing in the love we have for each other. I love you so much and always will,” 

Killian brushes a tear from his eye, glancing at his brother. That’s going to be a hard one to beat. Liam exhales sharply, still holding Elsa’s hand. “I love you sweetheart and I don’t think I can ever properly put into words what it means to me to be standing with you today in front of our friends and family, cementing our love for each other. But I do feel humbled that you would choose to spend the rest of your life with me. We’re the same, you and I, but we’re also different, too, and in that way, we compliment each other. I loved you since the moment I met you, I would have married you on the spot if I could, but I knew that you weren’t ready for that yet. Your love needed to be nurtured and I needed to learn to be patient and wait until you were ready to open yourself to me,” he says, “Now, here we are about to start this new life together, a happy beginning love. I love you Elsa,” 

The minister stares at them both, then holds up his hand and says a prayer over them and then moves onto the official marriage vows.

“Ladies first. Do you, Elsa Georgina Queen, take this man William Edward Jones to be your beloved husband, to love and honor, until death do you part?”

Liam raises an eyebrow, smiles and tilts his head.

Elsa licks her lips, smiling at him lovingly. “I do,” the minister turns to Liam. “Do you, William Edward Jones, take this woman Elsa Georgina Queen to be your beloved wife, to love and honor, until death do you part?”

“Yes,”

“I now pronounce you man and wife. Friends, please welcome Mr. Liam Jones and Mrs. Elsa Jones,”

~~

It’s a small outside wedding reception in the church’s garden. Caterers are everywhere serving small finger food for guests waiting for the bride and groom to arrive (they’re taking their wedding photos inside the church). Emma, Killian, Henry, Will and Anastasia are seated nearest to the bride and groom's table. 

There are round tables with violet or light blue table clothes around the room with a few standing tables for last-minute guests. 

A DJ had been hired for entertainment. 

Elsa and Kristoff are nearby along with Ingrid and Liam (she didn’t have to come but the younger Liam kept on begging his big brother to invite her over so at least he could ask her for a dance and a little flirting). The elder Liam eventually relented on that request and invited Ingrid as a guest. Ingrid was surprised at first, not used to attending weddings as guests but happily accepted. 

Nemo is there too, of course, making sure everything is coordinated and occasionally checking with wedding photographers about the pictures. Guests are not getting restless yet but they also shouldn’t be waiting too long to eat either. 

Finally, Elsa and Liam arrive and the room erupts into loud applause, welcoming the newlyweds. Elsa’s shy about the attention, blushing bright red, and the guests immediately started clanging their glasses for a kiss. A couple start chanting, ‘Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!’ 

Elsa and Liam look at each other, smiling and giggling. Elsa wets her lips and Liam pulls her into a long kiss, even dips her. Elsa snakes her hand around his neck and Liam holds her waist, lingering awhile longer and then helps her to her feet. The happy couple make their way over to the wedding table, greeting guests along the way. Food is already waiting for them, along with non-alcoholic sparkling cider for Elsa and Champagne for Liam. 

Once they’re both seated, Nemo comes to the microphone and directs the tables closest to the married couple lining up to get their food. The first table is Emma and Killian’s. They have their first pick of the buffet table, followed by Anna, Kristoff, Liam and Ingrid. The rest of the room follows in succession until everyone has food in front of them. 

After eating, Killian glances at the empty dance floor and then looks at Emma. “What do you say lass, how about dance ?" 

Emma blushes. “I think it’s customary for the bride and groom to have the first dance,” she notes. 

He raises an eyebrow, smiling. “Someone’s been studying wedding traditions,” he teases. 

“I’ve never done this before. I just want everything to be right,” 

Killian takes her hand and kisses it, then turns to look at Liam and Elsa, who are talking quietly with each other. 

Nemo comes again to the microphone and announces that it is finally time for the bride and groom to have their first dance together. Liam leans into the small mic in front of him, grinning, “It’s about bloody time!” 

Liam offers Elsa her hand, she takes him and he guides her to the dance floor as a slow song starts playing. They stand in the middle of the dance floor and Liam puts his hand through hers and the other around her waist, swaying slowly to the music. Elsa’s still blushing red, trying to follow her husband. The lights dim and slowflake spotlights dance around them as they move to the music. 

The lights bounce off Elsa’s dress and she looks as if she’s glowing as brightly as a star, swaying along with her husband. When the song finishes, they stop dancing and Liam kisses her again and everyone starts clapping. Nemo returns to the mic and invites other couples to the dance floor. 

“Come on lass,” Killian says, pulling her to join him. 

Anna and Kristoff start dancing as well as other couples. The younger Liam turns to Ingrid and smiles at her. “Ingrid, would you like to dance with me?” he asks. 

Ingrid’s drinking her champagne as he asks, and she has to clear her throat properly, putting down the wine glass. She looks at him hesitantly. “I’m not much of a dancer,” she notes. 

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun,” he says, smiling, “I would love to dance with the prettiest lady at the table,” 

“You’re too sweet Liam,” she starts, eyeing Nemo coming towards her. 

When Nemo hasn’t been performing his wedding planner duties, he’s been staring at her, and Ingrid knows that she’s about to become the focus of a love triangle between these two men. Both of them are nice, she likes them but doesn’t want to cause any trouble.

“Just one dance, please ?” he asks again. 

Ingrid’s hesitant to accept and then Nemo comes to the table, smiling at them, especially Ingrid. Liam looks over at him, his rival for all intensive purposes for this woman’s affections and then to Ingrid. 

“I was wondering Ms. Snow if I could ask you for a dance?” Nemo says. 

She smiles at them both. “This is really unusual for me because I’m typically not a wedding guest on occasions like these,” she starts, “Both of you are very lovely and handsome guys…” 

“You’re not dancing with either of us, are you?” Liam finally asks. 

Ingrid studies them, sighing. “I’m a horrible dancer,” she says. 

Both men shrug. 

“I taught dance choreography at NYU for two years before becoming a wedding planner,” Nemo boasts. 

Liam’s eyes narrow on the old man, turning back to Ingrid. “My father owns a dance nightclub in Paris,” he says, “I’ve watched the best and the worst dance up close, and I’m sure that you’re as flawless as a ballet dancer,” 

Ingrid shakes her head. “I don’t want to embarrass you both by choosing one over the other, old vs. young, so one dance with each? Is that agreeable?” 

“Most,” Nemo agrees. 

“That’s cool. Lady’s choice, who’s first?” 

Ingrid looks at Liam, smiling, “If you promise not to judge me…” 

“I won’t, promise,” he swears. 

Ingrid stands, taking the younger Liam’s hand and walking to the dance floor as Nemo stands back, watching them. Emma and Killian watch them dance together, and Killian tugs her closer. “Looks like my little brother finally got his shot to dance with his crush,” he muses. 

“It’s cute,” 

“I’m not judging,” Killian continues, “But isn’t Ingrid old enough to be his mum? I want to say something to him but I’m not sure what,” 

“Leave him alone,” Emma reasons and kisses him, “If it’s only a crush, he’ll figure it out later. Love doesn’t discriminate when it comes to age, you know?” 

“Aye,” 

Emma rests her head on his shoulder, dancing slowly. “Ours is almost here,” she whispers. 

“I know Swan,” 

She lifts her head and looks at him. “Any second thoughts?” she questions. 

“About us getting married?”

“Hmm,” 

Killian sighs and kisses her deeply, passionately her breath catches in her throat and her lips feel dry. “No,” he reasons, “I want this Emma. I want a life with you and Henry. Love takes time and I know, our relationship was not an easy one in the beginning but spending time with you these past couple of months, all I want is to be by your side. I love you Emma Swan, soon Emma Jones,” 

“No Swan?” 

“Depends, what’s your preference?” 

Emma thinks about it and smiles, kissing him. “No, I think I like Emma Jones,” she agrees. 

“Mrs. Emma Jones it is then,” he smiles and kisses her again. 

~~

The wedding reception continues for another three hours and after Ingrid dances with both the younger Liam and Nemo, she decides that she likes dancing after all and dances with both of them. Towards the end of the last hour, Nemo resumes his wedding planner duties and announces that it is time for Liam and Elsa to have their honeymoon. The whole room starts with `oohing ’and aws them. Nemo gives Liam his mic. 

“I want to thank everyone for joining us tonight for our wedding. We’ll be opening the presents too,” he promises. 

Elsa asks for the mic and Liam gives it to her. “I also want to thank our wedding planner René-Jean Nemo for putting this all together. Thank you also to my dear sister Anna for giving me away. I love you so much,” she cries. 

“Mama and papa love you too,” she adds. 

“Lastly,” Liam starts as Elsa hands him back the mic, “I want to thank my brothers for being here today. Killian, you’re my best mate, I love you and I look forward to repaying you for being my best man when I have to do the same at your wedding next month. To my baby brother Liam, thank you for giving me the confidence to pursue marrying this beautiful woman beside me and start a life with her. I know your home isn’t here in New York, but I hope you know that you will  _ always _ have a home when you come and visit us,” 

Liam smiles at him appreciatively. The elder Liam gives Nemo the microphone and they both hug him thankfully before exiting the room. 

Will comes by Emma and Killian’s table, standing between their chairs and leaning over the table. “If you two want to have a post-wedding private celebration, I would be happy to take Henry for the night,” he says. 

“It’s not  _ our  _ wedding,” 

“Hold on there Swan,” Killian starts, “Are you sure Will?” 

Will smiles cheekily at both of them. “Seriously, this is not a problem,” he says, winking at them. 

“What do you say Swan?” 

Emma sighs, studying both men and she nods in agreement. She still has no idea where this post-celebration might take place, but she has a feeling that her nanny has already taken care of getting a room for them. 

Will wishes them a goodnight, then goes over to Henry to tell him that he's taking him to his flat. He spots the younger Liam watching Nemo and Ingrid talk quietly in a corner, clearly taken with each other. Will goes over to him. “Oy, I'm taking Henry to me flat. Want some company mate?”

“Thanks,”

Emma and Killian step in to say goodnight to Henry. Emma tells him to behave when he's with Will and Anastasia as Will talks quietly with Killian, giving him directions where to take Emma. 

~~

Emma's not really sure where they're going but Killian's the one giving their Uber driver directions. It's getting late in New York, and the weather is starting to stay consistently warm. A brief cold front came in at the tail end of February and one day of snowfall at the beginning of March. The weather in New York doesn't really surprise her anymore. After that, it’s been one beautiful week after another.

The car finally stops in front of the hotel. Killian pays their driver and gets out, Emma following behind him. 

They check in at the front desk under the name Swan-Jones and the man gives them a key and directions to their suite. They can take the elevator opposite the lobby to the 10th floor. Killian calls for the elevator and Emma clings to his side, still not saying anything. The doors open and they get in.

“So, what is this?” she asks finally.

Killian turns to her eyebrows raised. “We’re in the Hotel Swan and we’re going up to our room for the night,” he reasons.

“No, I understand that part but what I mean, what was the explanation Will told you about getting this place?”

He smiles. “Oh that. He said it's an early wedding present for us,” 

Emma can't believe it. “This place is super expensive, though, and I know how much I pay him to take care of Henry. He couldn't have afforded this by himself,”

Killian shrugs, scratching the back of his ear. “I may have chipped in some money,” he admits finally, “And this suite we’re going to, you’re going to love it,”

“A bit premature for a honeymoon Jones, we’re not even married yet,”

“And we've been sleeping together for how long again?” he counters. 

Emma giggles and kisses him. “Hmm, point taken,”

They finally arrive at their floor and Emma follows him as he looks for their suite. Their suite is 107. Killian takes out the key, an actual key, unlocks the door and easily finds the light switch next to the bathroom. 

The carpet is a deep red with a queen-size single bed with red sheets. The bathroom has a shower good enough for two people and there's a large glass mirror hanging over the bed. 

“What do you think, Swan?”

Emma walks closer to the bed and lays back, staring at a reflection of herself. “I think I know why you got this room,”

He comes over and lays down beside her, staring at the mirror. “No cameras, no video tapes, just us and a mirror reflecting all our moves,” 

Emma turns to him curiously. “You like the attention, though.” 

“Maybe a little. It made me uncomfortable in the beginning but I’ve gotten used to it now. Don't you find it erotic to watch yourself during sex?”

Emma blushes, looking again at the ceiling mirror. “Maybe,” she muses. 

Killian kisses her, crawling on top of her thin long black dress. You couldn't tell in a dim setting, but Killian's almost certain that she's not wearing any knickers under there. There's no panty lines and wondering if throughout the reception made him itch with desire for her. 

Emma kicks off her heels and Killian lifts her long skirt, riding his hand up her thigh to her waist and, yes, confirming his suspicions.

“Bloody minx,” he growls.

Emma kisses him, whispering in his ear, “It was either nothing or a thong. Thongs aren't exactly comfortable for wedding attire,”

“But you like me in thongs?”

She smiles. “Seeing you barely covered is always a good thing,”

“You dirty woman,” he teases, “I should make you strip for me,”

Emma cocks an eyebrow and licks her lips. “Do you  _ really  _ want me too?”

“I think I would like to see that Swan,”

“Okay,” she muses and stands from the bed, trying to unzip her dress. 

Killian lays back on the bed, removing his black jacket and loosening his collar. He starts to loosen his pants, but Emma asks him to stop and smile at him.

“I want to do that part,”

“As you wish,”

Emma resumes unzipping her dress. There's a zip on the side, which makes it somewhat easier, and once she gets it, the black dress drops to the floor. She’s wearing a lace, black and almost see-through bra. 

Emma bends over and starts removing her stockings.

“Bloody hell, who is supposed to be seducing who here?”

She giggles, removing her stockings and tossing them to the floor. Emma crawls back onto the bed and loosens his pants so she can slip her hand underneath and take him gingerly into her hand. Killian groans.

Since that day atop the Empire State Building, Emma had become more free and open about what she wants and needs from him in the bedroom. There are some lines she still won't cross, like sex when Henry’s home because he's still a kid and she likes to be very vocal. 

This Emma in front of him is a wanton thing, taking what she wants and she bloody knows what she wants right now. She shucks away his black pants, drawing them to the floor and then does the same with his boxers. His cock springs free, all ready and sweet for her. 

Killian lays back comfortably on the bed and Emma curls up around his waist, wasting no time to take him into her mouth. He looks up at the mirror above and he can see his Emma bobbing her head up and down, fucking him hard. 

Her lips feel divine and it doesn't take long for him to feel that he's coming. Killian pulls her up on top of him, coming on her belly. Emma kisses him hard and he tastes the remnants of himself on her. 

Emma giggles, rolling his body atop hers so she's laying on the bed and staring up at the mirror canopy. 

“I love you Killian,”

“I love you too lass,” he smiles and kisses her. 

Killian strips his jacket and his shirt, tossing both to the floor. He raises her leg, kissing along her skin, his scruff tickly on her skin. He goes all the way up to her thigh, spreading her legs apart and pushing aside her panty. 

Emma feels like she's on a high once she feels his tongue roll around her clit. She's always so sensitive and Killian can feel that it too, easily aroused. “You are bloody wet Swan,” he manages, “Were you like this during the reception?”

“No,” she says, “But I might have been in the car. You do that to me, I want you all the time and I want you now,”

He smirks and kisses her longingly, sucking up her juices and then backs away, spreading her legs again. She's so wet and pink. He sticks in two forefingers in her, Emma sinks into him and lazily shuts her eyes. Killian slaps her gently. Emma yelps, opening her eyes and looking up at the mirror above. 

“Again?”

“Yes,”

Killian slaps her wet clit again and Emma moans happily. He does it one more time, kisses her there and then comes into her. She feels sore but still heavily aroused. Emma sighs, feeling him knee deep inside of her. Killian bends down briefly and kisses her breast, loosening her strapless bra and tossing it away. He moves inside her fast, pushing as hard as he can. 

Emma feels sore, a thumbing in her clit as he pounds into her and she looks up at the ceiling above, watching him drive into her. She can see everything happening and it turns her on. 

“Like what you see Swan?” he grunts between thrusts. 

“Hmm, yes,” she moans. 

Killian lifts her leg and kisses it, trying a different angle and it sends a shot of pleasure down Emma’s spine. Not quite an orgasm yet but it feels amazing. He lowers her leg to the bed and rubs her clit again, still coming in and out of her. Emma sees what he’s doing and she sinks deeper into the bed, moaning loudly. 

“Which drives you more crazy Emma? Me fucking you with my cock or me rubbing your swollen clit?” he asks, smiling devilishly. 

Emma bites down hard, feeling the intensity of both actions. Feeling Killian’s fingers on her sweet spot, rubbing her in circles hits all the right nerves and sends pulses of pleasure straight through. It’s a tactic to draw out her orgasm and make this last for as long as he can’t. 

“Emma, which love?” 

She looks up at the mirror canopy and it is very erotic seeing everything as it happens. She feels it too, this immense heat beginning to boil over inside. Killian feels it too within himself. He stops rubbing her and instead focuses on fucking her, driving her and himself closer. The orgasm hits Emma first and she feels it wreck her whole body, and Killian comes a moment later. He pulls out and drops to the bed beside, breathing deeply. 

Emma calms down and cuddles close to him. Killian embraces her close and kisses her forehead. 

“I think I may have to give Will a raise in his salary,” she laughs, “I like this setup. I don’t think I would mind having this in our bedroom,” 

He laughs and kisses her. 

tbc


	31. I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “From the little duckling into a swan,” he muses, “You’re going to take his breath away when he sees you,” 

April 25. 

On the morning of Emma’s wedding day, she wakes early, showers, dresses in a bathrobe and starts curling her hair. Tink comes by later with coffee and a light breakfast, Jefferson arrives shortly after with her wedding dress (the one that she and Jefferson co-designed to her liking). 

He came up with the initial design and suggested some tweaks to it. It had been an ongoing process for weeks, trading sketches between them with Emma’s little notes of what she wanted the final design to look like. If Emma didn’t have her fashion house, she would have to outsource the design for her wedding dress to someone else and she didn’t like that.

Jefferson knows her, he knows her fashion taste and what she likes. Even though she liked three of the initial drafts, it took time for her to narrow down her selection to one. Once she had that, coming to a final design was easy. Jefferson had been very patient with her, knowing that the wedding dress, above all else in the ceremony, was the most important detail. 

Plus, when Emma looks at the design label, there’s her signature and Jefferson side-by-side as co-designers and it makes her really happy to see her name on the label. 

Then there’s her vows, the second most important part of the ceremony. 

Ingrid coached her so that her vows should speak to the person she is and the kind of relationship she has with Killian and what she wants to express about what is special about them as a couple. 

Emma must have drafted at least five or six versions of her vows to Killian, running each draft by Tink when she’s in the office, or Henry when she’s at home. She kept all the drafts in a secure file on her iMac and only her and Tink know the password to access the file. 

For every other detail regarding the wedding, Ingrid has taken care of her. The bride, she says, should have little to worry about on her big day and to leave most of the planning to her. Emma loves that attitude right away, feeling more comfortable focusing on finalizing her wedding dress and wedding vows leading up to the main event. 

A week before the wedding, Liam and Elsa return from their honeymoon. They only went to upstate New York and stayed in a condo on the beach. Elsa’s still wary of doing serious traveling this early in her pregnancy and Liam’s okay with putting Elsa and the baby’s health first. 

Ingrid briefed both Liam’s on their best man duties. Even though Ingrid and Nemo are dating, the younger Jones still has this crush on her and relishes private time with her when she’s coaching him on his responsibilities as second best man. 

But now the time has finally come, Emma’s wedding. It seriously was not that long ago that she interviewed Killian for a second assistant position and she hired him for a dual role as her assistant and lead model. Now he will have a bigger role in her life as her husband and Henry’s stepfather. 

“Are you ready?” 

Emma turns to the voice and finds Tink and Jefferson looking at her. Alice is there too, setting out the makeup supplies. Her wedding dress is hung up in her big walk-in closet. 

“Emma, honey?” Jefferson asks. 

She breaks into a big smile. “I’m getting married,” she says. 

Tink hugs her. “I know sweetie,” she cries, “Jefferson and I could not be happier for you. You’ve come a long way from the woman I met years ago, Emma. You’ve been so focused on Henry and the success of the company that you haven’t really taken time for yourself to explore what your life could be like with love,”

“Given my history, love always hurts me.” 

“True,” Jefferson agrees, “But you did the bravest thing anyone in your position could do, you took a leap of faith and believed that you could open yourself to feeling love after all the pain you’ve been through.” 

Emma reaches for both of their hands and squeezes them tight, smiling fondly at their reflection in her vanity. “It means so much to me that I get to share this day with two of my best friends,” she starts. 

Jefferson starts to get teary-eyed and Alice comes over with a tissue. “Oh God, please stop! Once I start crying, you’re not going to get me to stop. Do you know how hard it was for me to stop crying when you asked me to walk you down the aisle?” he cries. 

Emma smiles. “I remember,” 

Tink hugs her again. “We love you too Emma,” she reminds her. 

Jefferson blows his nose. “Okay, we need to stop this and get started on making you into a bride,” he declares. 

~~

Almost two hours later, Emma is standing in her wedding dress, the one she co-designed with Jefferson specifically for this day. It’s classy, elegant, modern and just perfect. Jefferson stares at her dearly, beautiful and radiant. 

“From the little duckling into a swan,” he muses, “You’re going to take his breath away when he sees you,” 

Emma turns to him, the dress swirling with her and smiles. “You think so?” 

“You’re gorgeous Emma,” Tink agrees. 

Limo arrives outside and Jefferson helps carry her skirt while Tink helps her down the stairs. It’s a beautiful spring day out, no rain predicted and somewhere in the mid-80’s. Will comes out of the car on the passenger side, smiling as he sees Emma come out of the apartment wearing her wedding dress and ready to get married. 

“Wow,” he breathes. 

Emma smiles at him. “Designed exclusively by myself and Jefferson,” she notes as he opens the back passenger door, and Tink helps gather her dress into the car. Emma scoots in and Tink gets beside her. Will gets back in and then Emma calls Jefferson. “There’s room back here, you don’t have to take another car,” 

Alice comes out and Jefferson looks at her. 

“Bloody go. Grace and I will meet you there,” she says. 

He smiles at her and gets into the limo with them. 

~~

Killian re-reads his vows, pacing to and fro in the suite. He finished dressing and getting ready an hour ago but just wants to make sure his vows are where they should be. 

There’s a knock on his door and he asks who it is, don’t want to tempt fate and have Emma accidentally walk in on him before the wedding. He knows all about superstitious stuff.

Liam calls back that it’s just him and his other best man. 

Killian tucks his vows away in his breast pocket and opens the door for them. The elder Liam hugs him first, then the other Liam. Both men are dressed in penguin suits. 

“Emma hasn’t arrived yet, but Tink called and said that they’re in transit,” the elder Liam says, “How are you doing Killian?” 

“Nervous and excited, it’s an odd feeling of both. I’ve waited a long time to make my relationship with Emma something real, and now we’re going to be married in a short time,” 

The younger Liam sits down, studying him. “Hope you’re not having second thoughts. I had to talk to this guy before he married Elsa, tell him to forget about the past and let himself be happy now,” he reasons. 

Killian looks at Liam and he shrugs. “We all have our issues, I just needed to let go and accept that I can be happy with the woman I love and our child,” 

“You don’t think I’m--we’re rushing things?” 

“I was worried in the beginning, but I see how you two are together and there isn’t anything more right,” Liam rationalizes, “You and Emma, it’s meant to be, as simple as that,” 

Killian hugs him. 

The younger Liam sits there awkwardly before the elder Liam turns to him and invites him into a hug. Liam comes over and hugs them both. “I hope you two aren’t expecting me to get married next?” 

“To Ingrid?” 

“That would be awesome,” he cries. 

“Take your time brother,” Killian reminds him. 

“Aye,” 

~~

Killian comes to the chapel, standing in the front. Both Liam’s stand to the side, looking towards the guests. The younger Liam looks for Ingrid and finds her standing by the chapel entrance, listening to an ear-piece and then smiles back at the minister where Emma’s arrived. 

The organ starts playing, and the first of Emma’s wedding parties comes down the aisle. There’s Henry walking with his classmate Violet. She sits in the front pew and he stands on Emma’s side. Next, there’s Tink dressed in a muted pink maid of honor gown, carrying a small bouquet of flowers (also a Jefferson original). She smiles fondly, walks down the aisle and goes to stand next to Henry. 

The organist switches to the wedding march, and everyone stands. Killian turns around finally, watching the chapel doors and then he sees Emma in her one-of-a-kind wedding dress. 

Jefferson’s there, holding her arm and escorting her down the aisle. Once they come to the front, Jefferson lifts her veil and kisses both of her cheeks before giving her hand to Killian’s, then stands on the side. Jefferson sits in the front pew with Grace, Alice and Jefferson’s boyfriend, Victor. (Alice is Grace’s mother). 

The minister gestures that they sit and the organ finishes playing. “Friends, honored guests, welcome to the wedding of our beloved bride and groom, Emma Swan and Killian Jones. I've been married many couples over the years but your journey, getting to this moment, has been an interesting story. It wasn’t love at first sight for either of you but later learned to grow in love with each other. Love, true love takes time. There are trials, complications and hardships you faced and conquered them together. That is what true love is, it takes patience and understanding, but in the end, the love you give each other always comes back more than you expected,” he says, “Now, as I understand it, you’ve both prepared vows to say to each other about what you feel. Emma, you start,” 

“Killian, a long time ago I thought I knew what love felt like. My first experience with love left scars on my heart that I thought would never heal, and then I had Henry, learning to be his mother, and it started to open my heart to wanting love again. Love burned me again and I thought, maybe love isn’t for me. Maybe love is something that only exists in fairytales. I locked my love away and focused on my life as a designer, thinking being a successful career woman was enough to make me happy. But it was never going to be enough,” she cites, “Falling in love with you, sharing my heart, my pains and my hopes, showed me that love didn’t always have to hurt. Love can be good, it can be beautiful and something greater than me. I love you Killian and thanks to you, I believe that I can let go of past hurts and live a happier future. I’m not scared anymore of my feelings because I know that you will always catch me when I fall,” 

The minister smiles dearly at Emma, then looks at Killian. 

“Mr. Jones,” 

“Aye,” he breaths, “I had a broken heart once, and I thought after that experience, there wasn’t a chance that I would meet someone and fall in love again. It brought me so much trouble the first time and I thought when I walked into your office for that first interview, falling in love was the farthest thing from my mind. And then you kissed me and it awakened in me feelings I hadn’t felt in a long time. I didn’t realize how serious those feelings were until that time we spent together in Paris. I knew before the trip that I wanted to marry you, but you weren’t in the right emotional space for such a commitment yet, I had to wait,” 

“And now, here we are ready to take that leap together. I can’t promise that it will be perfect all the way but there is one thing you can be certain of, and that I will always be by your side. I love you Emma Swan and I promise to protect your heart from any harm that may come to it,” 

The minister smiles at them both. “Well said,” he agrees, “Now, do you, Emma Swan, take this man, Killian Jones, to be your wedded husband, to love and cherish for as long as you both shall live?” 

“I do,” 

Killian smiles. 

“Do you Killian Jones take this woman Emma Swan to be your wedded wife, to love and cherish for as long as you both shall live?” 

“I do,” 

“By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife. Friends, please welcome Mr. Killian Jones and Mrs. Emma Jones,” 

The church breaks into loud applause and Killian pulls her close for their first kiss as husband and wife. 

~~

The wedding reception is in a large ballroom. Ingrid times the whole thing to have wedding pictures an hour before the reception and the schedule works out well and ends up finishing in under an hour. 

After finishing, Ingrid escorts them to the ballroom where all their friends and family are waiting. Ingrid comes in first and happily introduces them as husband and wife.

Once they come into the ballroom, everyone applauds them and starts asking for a kiss. Emma stands close and kisses him. Killian dips her suddenly and Emma holds onto him, kissing him deeply. Then Killian helps her stand. 

Ingrid shows them to their table and caterers bring them their food. The tables closest to the bride and groom get their food first and then onwards. 

During dinner, Killian leans into her, whispering in her ear, “This dress you and Jefferson designed, it's amazing love,”

“Thank you. I always knew that if I got married that day, I needed to design my own dress,”

“I am curious about something though,” he adds, “What are you wearing underneath?”

Emma raises an eyebrow and looks at him. “That is a surprise for later,” she winks, “I totally took into account how time consuming it is to change from a wedding gown to something else more comfortable,”

“Oh?”

Emma kisses him sweetly. “Be patient,”

“Aye,”

~~

After dinner, Ingrid invites the newly married couple to their first wedding dance. 

The lights dim and the spotlight follows Emma and Killian to the dance floor as a slow song starts playing for them. Killian places his hand around her back and places his other in Emma’s hand and they sway slowly to the music. Both glide gracefully across the floor, the slow song fluidly transitioning to an upbeat one. Emma lets Killian take the lead, he’s a more natural dancer than she is.

Emma can’t take her eyes off her new husband. She’s never felt so loved and secure in a relationship before, and with Killian, she knows that he is there for her in the long haul. 

It took her a long time to accept her feelings for him, to openly acknowledge that she loves him but Emma’s not holding back anymore. She’s truly in love, happy and found her perfect match, someone who gets her and will call her out when she needs it. 

Killian picks her up suddenly and twirls her around, grinning. “What are you thinking about love ?" he asks. 

She touches his scruff and smiles. “How happy I am that I accepted you for that interview, I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t meet you,” she reasons. 

“Aye,”

He puts her down and turns her body, so her back is swaying against him and his arms are wrapped around her waist. “I love you Mrs. Emma Jones and anytime you want to give a sexy variation of that interview, please let me know,” he winks at her. 

“Hmm,” she giggles, “The one we had before wasn’t enough?” 

“That was bloody perfect, you always are, but there’s always room for improvement,” 

He twirls her around so they’re facing each other again. “Yes, there is,” she agrees. 

~~

The rest of the wedding reception seems to drag on. There's more dancing and celebrations. 

But now, both the bride and groom are starting to get antsy and mildly horny. Emma leans into him, whispering that she needs to use the ladies room and winks at him before standing to leave.

Killian waits about five minutes before following his wife into the bathroom. 

That may or may not be where she is, but he will bloody find her. He knows what that wink and suggestion meant. It's not even their honeymoon yet, but there's no harm in an early start. 

“Killian,”

He turns and finds her, waiting against the wall of a restroom. He comes and slams her body against the wall, kissing her breathlessly. 

There's still maybe two hours left of their wedding reception, and they need to be quick about this and get back to the party before Ingrid sends people to look for them. 

Emma ducks from under him and opens the door to the women's bathroom. “It's empty, I swear. I checked already,” she assures him.

“Aye,”

Emma slips into the bathroom first, Killian checks up and down the hall and then follows Emma. He finds his wife in one of the larger stalls. She has this carnal look on her face and he feels the same way. 

Killian locks the stall door, then turns around and backs her into a corner. He opens his fly, lifts her dress, lowers her stockings and her tiny panties, coming into her. “Couldn't wait for our wedding night could you, Mrs. Jones?”

She grins at him slyly. “I want what I want,” she says and kisses him, “Besides, I need a good fuck,”

Killian buries himself in her, thrusting hard and fast. Emma holds onto his back, feeling every motion hit her and then she feels her orgasm explode and ripple through her body. Killian pulls out, kisses her cheek and starts to help fix her clothes. By the time he's finished cleaning her up, Emma’s come down from her high. Her legs still feel a little shaky. 

Killian fixes his clothes too and then exits the restroom, returning to the reception. Emma waits ten minutes in the stall, checks her hair and makeup, her dress especially and then leaves the restroom. 

When Emma comes back to the reception, Killian's at their table, drinking red wine. Emma comes over and sits beside him, pouring herself some ice water and takes a long drink. Killian places his free hand in her lap, feeling her legs still shaky. 

“Want some wine darling?” he asks, knowing that she needs something to help calm her nerves.

“I’m fine with water,” she smiles.

~~

Another two hours pass. 

There's the traditional wedding thing, the throwing of the bouquet, the garter, the best men and maid of honor speeches. 

The elder Liam goes first, saying how grateful he is to be here for his younger brother’s wedding and how happy he is to welcome Emma to the Jones clan. She is a fine addition to their growing family, hinting that maybe his son or daughter might have a cousin in the future. 

That last part makes Emma blush so hard. She already has Henry but honestly would not mind having another child. She loves Killian so much and, having another child, feels like a fresh start for her. 

Next, it's the younger Liam’s turn. 

“Family is, it's complicated, but being here for you, Killian and Emma, on your wedding day, all of it feels right and uncomplicated. Killian, you’ll never know how grateful I am that you’ve accepted me as your brother. I feel at home with all of you, it hurts that I’m going to be leaving you soon,” he starts, “And Emma, I don't know you very well but from what I have seen of you and the way you feel about my brother, it makes me happy that he's found such a love. Congratulations to you both on your marriage. Cheers,”

Tink looks to Killian and smiles at him thoughtfully. “I think there’s a lot of things I’m thankful for when it comes to you, Killian. Most of all, I’m thankful for the love that you have for my friend and our mutual boss. Emma, I know you have a tough history when it comes to love but I always hoped that you would find it again one day, for real and true happiness. I could not be happier for you that you’ve opened yourself to love, it’s a really brave thing for you to do as it also shows how far you’ve come a long way as a person; I’m proud of you,”

Emma starts to get emotional, hearing her dear friend talk about her. 

After the speeches, there's just enough time to thank everyone for coming to their wedding and also to Ingrid for putting together a lovely ceremony and after party reception. Emma also thanks Jefferson for helping her design her beautiful wedding dress and how lucky she is to have him as a friend. Killian also thanks his brothers for being his best men and for their lovely speeches. Emma thanks Tink for her speech too. 

Finally, they can make their official exit for their honeymoon. 

~~

They have a suite reserved upstairs, good for tonight and tomorrow; then it’s a plane flight to their honeymoon destination. Emma still doesn’t know where they’re going; she let Killian plan the trip as he promised her that it would be the honeymoon of her dreams. 

Wherever she goes, Emma knows that she will enjoy herself with her husband by her side. 

Her husband. 

Emma is a married woman now. 

First time ever. 

Although she had been through her share of heartbreak and bad relationships in her life, it seemed that finding true love again just wasn’t in the cards for her. Until she met Killian. His love showed her that love, proper love didn’t have to hurt and she could feel good about being in a relationship. 

Safe even. 

It might sound corny, but this is her happy place, being with him. 

Their elevator finally arrives at their floor and Killian leads them to their suite. Killian opens the door, Emma’s about to step foot inside and then he sweeps her off her feet and carries her over the threshold. 

“Did you really think I would let go of that one tradition?” he winks at her, carrying her into the room and onto the queen-size bed. 

“You’re so old-fashioned,” she giggles. 

“I prefer to think of it as being a gentleman,” he reasons. 

Emma kisses him, still giggling, and Killian pulls her close, slyly working on unbuttoning the back of her wedding dress. Emma knows what he’s doing, but she has something else specially planned for their wedding night and playfully holds him off, letting him lay back on the bed. She stands at the foot of the food, smiles and winks at him. 

“I love you Killian,” she breaths. 

“I love you Emma,” he smiles. 

“So this wedding dress Jefferson and I designed, it has some special and unique features,” she starts, unclasping the buttons at the waist of the dress until she is able to remove the bottom half of the dress and put it away. 

Killian smiles, seeing those gloriously netted legs of hers and barely there panties. “Is that it?” he asks, cocking an eyebrow. 

“Oh, hell no!” she laughs and then unbuttons the back of her waist, lifting the upper half of the dress. 

Her bra, if it can be called a bra, is more like a transparent fabric barely covering her breasts. Emma bends down exaggeratedly, showing off her ass as she unclips her netted stockings and then removes her heels. That leaves her barely there bra and her panties. 

“What do you think so far?” 

He grins. “I think it’s a very good thing that you are the head of your own fashion house,” he compliments. 

Emma giggles and comes over to the bed, laying beside him. She pulls him into a longing kiss and Killian tucks her in close, running his hands all over her waist and bottom. 

“Is it my turn now for a striptease?” he teases. 

“Hmm,” she giggles, licking her lips, “I have a present for you too.” 

“A present?” he questions. 

Emma stands from the bed and goes over to a desk, removing a box. She had the concierge slip this into their room. She comes back to the bed and gives the box to Killian. He takes it from her and easily unwraps it, not really sure what to expect. There’s something heavy in there weighing it down, but there’s also something else as well. He sets aside the wrapping paper and pulls out a DSLR camera. 

Killian knows it’s a camera, but he’s not really sure what the use of a camera is for right now. 

“We’re going to have as many pictures together as a newly married couple, vacation photos, or whatever, but I thought we could start adding to that collection now, tonight,” 

“You want me to take sexy pictures of you on our wedding night?” 

Emma blushes and kisses him. “ _ You too _ ,” she whispers in his ear, “I know we’ve made love many times before, but tonight is really special. This is your honeymoon Killian, the beginning of our new life together as husband and wife, lovers, I want to capture it all,” 

“And our private Paris photoshoot, it showed me that you have a real talent for this, a talent I don’t want you to waste,” 

Killian pulls her into a long kiss. He looks further into the box and, of course, there’s a thong, a black one. 

Emma starts giggling uncontrollably, seeing his expression as he holds it up. 

“We’re going to have to work on improving your sexual kinks darling,” he teases. 

“Sexy wedding night pictures aren’t enough for you?” she teases with a wink. 

Killian kisses her again, pulling her to rest on top of him so she can feel his erection. Emma palms him through his pants and he groans. “Bloody hell Emma,” 

She grabs the camera as she loosens his pants and his boxers, then gives the camera back to him.

Killian checks the batteries, they’re already loaded and the camera is a point and click. He raises his arm, holds the camera over her head and snaps a picture. 

Emma smiles as his cock springs free and she looks up at the camera as he clicks another photo. The camera is heavy and he lowers his arm, previewing the first two images. 

“This is just for us darling,” he says. 

“All for us,” she promises, removing his waist jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. 

Killian takes another picture of her, catching her holding his cock with one hand and removing his shirt with her other. 

There’s a fire in her that’s burning to be set free. Emma licks him once and Killian catches that on film with two clicks. Emma tosses his clothes to the floor and now, he’s totally nude. Emma still has on her bra and panty. 

Little minx she is, smiling seductively for the camera. She looks amazing like this, carefree and open, wanton. 

Tink wasn’t wrong when she said in her maid of honor speech that Emma changed from the person she used to be. Killian remembers what she was like when he met her: uptight, cold and completely guarded. That’s not who she is now. She’s a vixen, lustful and unafraid of going after what she wants. 

He snaps a couple more pictures of her, more wide shots of her crawling over his body. It’s been a subtle change but a welcome evolution. 

Even this transparent bra, blatantly showing off her precious assets; the old Emma would have never done something like this. 

“Killian?” she asks, raising an eyebrow, “Done with pictures?” 

He snaps a few more, taking in all of her body and bloody hell, she is a temptress. Killian takes more pictures, but now he feels his cock is straining and wanting. He’s about to put it down and then Emma snatches the camera from his hands and takes some pictures of him. “Bloody hell Emma,” he breathes. 

“Did you want something?” she teases, absentmindedly letting the camera take continuous pictures. 

Killian knows what he wants too. He tries to get the camera away from her but Emma’s a fast one, moving swiftly to avoid him. There’s a struggle for about two minutes, trying to chase and grab the other, mostly to take the camera. He’s reminded of that day before his official debut in the showroom. Emma couldn’t stop taking pictures of him and teased him mercilessly. Bloody minx is doing it again. 

Finally, Killian manages to take the camera from her but then he has to hide it. Emma looks like she’s ready to pounce him and he’d let her too with those dangerous green eyes. Luckily, Emma sticks to the bed as he puts away the camera in the box and then comes back to her. 

“Alright,” he starts and crawls back onto the bed and over Emma, “Enough foreplay now love,” 

“You didn’t enjoy that?” she teases and kisses him. 

“I did but now I think it’s time for the main event; that is, why we came up here,” 

“Hmm,” she giggles. 

He strips off her panties, feels her clit first and lord, she is soaking wet and incredibly warm, almost hot. Killian comes into her gently, feeling her arousal so wantonly. Emma wiggles her body underneath him and the sudden movement shoots straight through his groin. 

“Fuck Emma,” 

She grins at him, knowing exactly what she’s doing. 

“Is that what you want love?” he asks her, kissing her again, “You want to fuck?” 

She kisses him longingly. “I want everything,” she moans, “I want it all with you Killian,” 

He feels her clit throbbing again and comes into her deep, eliciting a loud moaning-whimper followed by a laugh. Killian does it again, feeling her clit but also pumping her fast and deep; more pleasurable whimpers. He wishes he had the camera now to capture Emma’s facial expression. His cock feels throbbing and he feels Emma’s nails digging into his but, goading him on faster. A few thrusts and Emma spasms beneath him but doesn’t want him to stop. 

Killian comes into her as many times as he can until he orgasms himself, that somehow spills into Emma and she’s falling with him. He pulls out and falls beside her on the bed, parched. Emma still feels tingly and aroused. 

“Bloody hell,” 

“Yeah,” she breathes, coming over to rest her head on his chest, “I love you husband,” 

He laughs and kisses her. “Love you too, wifey,” 

Emma wraps her arms around his waist and closes her eyes for a moment. “Killian,” she starts. 

“Hmm, love?”

“Wherever we go on our honeymoon, as long as we come back and get to be like at the end of the day, that’s what I want,” 

He arches an eyebrow and kisses her temple. “Anything else love?” 

Emma’s not really not sure how to bring up that she wants children either but what Liam said earlier about his kid having a cousin, it’s nice and thinking about how Henry came into this world, Emma knows that she would want better for another child. She loves Henry so much but he is a victim of rape as she is. 

“I want to have a baby with you,” she says. 

“Emma, are you sure? You want a child with me?” 

“Yes,” she says, looking up at him, “I love Henry and I always will but when I think about how he came into this world, he’s as much of a victim as I was. I never wanted him to know about his father because if he did, he would know what I went through and I feel like, if I have another child, a child born of our love, it will be something good and wonderful. I know a child won’t erase the past but it can be a promise that the future will be better for us,”

Killian kisses her softly and holds her close. “If a child is what you want Emma, then we will make it our priority when we get to our honeymoon destination,” he promises, taking her hands and holding them, “I love you Emma. All I want for you is to have your heart’s desire,” 

“Thank you Killian,” she says and kisses him, “By the way, where are we going for our honeymoon?” 

“Bloody hell, do you not understand the concept of a surprise?” 

She giggles. “I do but a little hint would be nice?” 

“You’re not getting anything out of me,” he protests. 

Emma grins, scrutinizing him a moment and sits up, scooting down the bed to between his legs. “Spill Jones, where we are going or I go?” she says, looking suggestively at his cock. 

“You wicked minx,” he growls, “I’m still not spoiling anything,”

Emma considers what she wants to do and then dips her head between his legs, planting her lips around his cock, bobbing her head. Killian groans, this is a cruel game she’s playing, blowing until he spills the location of their honeymoon. Her talented lips know how to drive him crazy, building up his arousal. 

“Emma,” 

“Hmm?” she muses between sucks, “Ready to talk? Where are we going? Back to Paris? Or maybe Italy this time, what part of the boot?” Emma licks him again, going down further and Killian groans, feeling the intensity build. “Or is it someplace exotic like Brazil or Greece? New Zealand? England?”

“Aye,” he finally cries, feeling himself on the edge of coming. 

She sucks him hard again, knowing he is devastatingly close. “New Zealand or England?” she asks. 

Emma rolls his balls between her fingers and takes him whole, pinching each nerve. Killian shuts his eyes, sagging into the bed, feeling his body tense and then shouts along with his orgasm, “England, we’re going to England!” 

Emma pops her lips and looks up at him happily. “England, huh? See London too?” 

Killian groans, opening his eyes and looking at her. “We might,” he offers, breathing steadily, “I haven’t been back there in some time and I wanted to share its beauty with you,” 

Emma comes up and lays beside him, smiling. “That’s wonderful, I look forward to seeing some of your beginnings,”

“Aye, Swan,”

tbc


	32. The Honeymoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma holds him close and kisses him. “I think the girl needed to be reminded that it isn't polite to flirt with someone else's husband,” she reasons, “You wouldn't like it if someone was flirting with me, would you?”

Emma wakes the following morning, feeling this amazing sensation pool between her thighs and moans into the blanket. She also notices once she opens her eyes that there’s something moving beneath the blanket and her husband’s body and face are missing beside her. Someone woke up early and had been feeling extra needy and horny, not that she minds. 

“Killian,” she cries. 

He peeks his head out from underneath the blanket, looking up at her, “Yes, love? Oh, did I wake you?” he grins wickedly, “Want me to stop?” 

“Hell no,” she cries. 

He smiles, winks at her and ducks beneath the blankets again, spreading her legs apart and licking her up. Emma feels her ache fester, her heart starts pounding and god Killian’s talented tongue knows how to pleasure her in the right places. She feels a pulse beat in two places, the thumbing of her heart and the nerves in her clit. He’s making her so wet and aroused, his tongue darting in rapid pace and pushing her closer to orgasm. 

Emma feels him cup her ass with his hands and continue to lick earnestly, occasionally sticking in digits to further her along. She shuts her eyes, writhing beneath him and he dives in, sucking her hard and then she feels it, her orgasm ripple once and then another, making her cry into the blanket and then sink into the bed, panting. 

Killian comes up from beneath the blankets and lays beside her, kissing her good morning and winks at her. 

“Good morning love,” he says. 

“Good morning to you too,” she laughs and kisses him again, “That was quite the awakening,” 

He grins. “I know. I wanted to give you a special awakening for our first morning together as a married couple,” he says and kisses her shoulder, making her giggle, “Was there anything else you wanted love?” 

Emma blushes bright red and pulls him into a long kiss. “Breakfast maybe?” 

He raises an eyebrow suggestively, “My morning surprise wasn’t enough for you lass?” he asks. 

“I mean  _ real food _ , Killian,” she says, “but I would not be opposed to a sexual appetite later,” 

Killian pounces on top of her and kisses her hungrily, rubbing his cock against her wetness. Emma knows that he’s doing that on purpose to make her crazy with need. “Just later darling? You don’t want anything now?” he asks, kissing her neck and breasts. 

“Breakfast? Food?” 

“I already ordered some. Room service should be here in 45 minutes,” he says, still teasing her, “A little appetizer perhaps?” 

Emma can feel the tip of his cock grazing her clit and damn, it feels really good. She has to give her husband credit, when he wants something, he’s not afraid to go after it. Emma’s getting to that same point too, becoming more comfortable with her sexual side and using her assets and talents to her advantage, like last night. 

“Love?” 

“45 minutes, right?” 

He smiles, “Aye,” 

“Okay,” she whispers. 

Killian kisses her sweetly and then comes into her. He feels how wet she still is from his morning wake up call. Killian comes in and out of her, coming in deeper each time until he’s buried inside. She feels so stretched and sore, his movements are slow to start and then they steadily speed up. She can hear the slap of skin against skin, her clit buzzing with pleasure. Emma pulls him close, burying her head in the blanket and then comes up for air again. 

She feels her pulsating orgasm begin to ripple through her. Killian feels it and fucks her harder, skin slapping hard. Emma cums hard, feeling the pleasure all over her skin. Killian kisses her brow, slowing his pace somewhat and then Emma greedily starts stroking his length. 

“Fuck Emma,”

She grins and giggles. “Want me to stop?”

“Bloody hell no,”

Emma continues stroking him, gently at first and once she feels and sees in his face how close he is, she rubs him harder. Killian groans, turning his efforts towards making Emma cum again. It seems to be working because he feels her stop stroking his length. Her clit begins to feel sore and slippery wet. Killian fingers her gently as he comes into her repeatedly. Emma pulls him down for a kiss, orgasming hard as he cums too. 

Killian collapses beside her, totally spent. Emma's feeling the same but also, really hungry for food. As if on cue, their breakfast arrives. Emma ducks beneath the blankets as Killian finds a bathrobe and answers the door. 

The bellhop is a twenty something girl, smiling when she sees him. “Your breakfast food Mr. Jones,” she says weakly.

Once Emma hears that voice, she can imagine her ogling her husband and it makes her jealous. 

“Thank you m’lady,” he says, taking the tray from her and setting his aside, “Sorry, I don't have money for a tip at the moment,”

The girl smiles. “Just leave it downstairs at the front desk with a note that it's for Cindy,”

Emma finally finds something to cover herself and comes over, popping up behind Killian, her arms around his waist and kissing his neck playfully. 

Yeah, no girl is flirting with her new husband, or ogling him. Emma bites her lip and smiles politely at the girl. “Hello Cindy, thank you for bringing us our breakfast but I think we can take it from here,” she says, winking and making sure she sees the wedding ring on her finger.

“Oh,” she says, backing away into the hallway, “Enjoy your honeymoon and your breakfast,”

Emma turns Killian's head and kisses him, reaching another hand beneath his robe. He uses his free hand and slams the door shut. Cindy turns around and promptly leaves.

Killian isn't sure if he should be annoyed or really turned on by what just happened. Breakfast is nearly forgotten as Emma loosens his bathrobe and plants kisses along his chest.

“That wasn't?”

“What?”

“What was  _ that _ ?” he asks, referring to what just happened.

Emma holds him close and kisses him. “I think the girl needed to be reminded that it isn't polite to flirt with someone else's husband,” she reasons, “You wouldn't like it if someone was flirting with me, would you?”

“No, I wouldn't,” he agrees, “Just never seen your jealous side before,”

Emma raises an eyebrow and kisses him. “I love you Killian and I don't  _ really  _ want to share with you. Are you offended?”

He cocks an eyebrow and starts loosening what she found to cover herself. “I’m not offended darling, probably more turned on than anything else,” he reasons.

“We’re skipping breakfast, aren't we?”

He grins, taking off her clothes and bends down, kissing her navel. “Perhaps we need to be marking territory then,” he reasons.

“Like a hickey, or two?”

Killian kneels down and kisses her belly, moving to her thighs. Emma's bare down there and still sensitive from earlier. 

Killian picks her up suddenly and carries her back to the bed, laying her down gently. He pulls her legs to the edge of the bed and spreads wide, kneeling on the floor and sucking on her flesh. 

Emma moans loudly. 

Killian sucks deeper, fingering her too. She's so tender, it makes this easy. His tongue hits a nerve and Emma's writhing beneath him, focusing still on that same spot. Emma cums again and when he looks at her clit, there's a mark there. He kisses her thigh, stands and Emma shakily sits up and looks at him. 

She knows what he did. 

“There,” he reasons, “as if you needed further proof,”

Emma doesn't need to look down to see what's there. She beckons him close and he rests on her lap. “You realize it will be awhile until I’ll be able to walk,”

“You need not ever doubt my love for you Emma or ever feel insecure about my feelings for you. I love you darling, I married you and you're the only woman I want,” 

“I know,”

He kisses her, then stands, cleans up and comes back with their breakfast. 

~~

After breakfast, Killian prepares the bathroom for a nice hot tub soak for his wife. Emma can walk but she still feels sore. Killian helps her stand and get the bathroom, letting her lay gently unto the hot tub. It's a big oval shape tub with shootings on all corners. Once she's settled and comfortable, Killian's about to leave the bathroom but Emma asks him to stay. 

“You won't give me a nice massage?” she asks, smiling.

“I know what you want lass,” he muses, “but you need to take it easy first,”

Emma starts pouting. “Killian,” 

“You are one lustful lass,” he moans, then comes over and squats beside the tub and starts massaging her shoulders. Emma relaxes under his touch and bloody can't help kissing along her shoulders, fondling her breasts. 

“I love you Killian,” she moans, “I want you to join me in here,”

He arches an eyebrow and kisses her shoulder. “You’re still sore Emma. I don't want to hurt you,”

“There are other ways to be intimate,” she teases and makes room for him. 

It is a big hot tub, clearly meant for two people. Killian strips off his robe and climbs into the tub, laying opposite her. Emma turns herself around and rests her back against him, sitting between his legs. She feels his erection against her but rubs him gently.

“Bloody hell Emma,”

Emma giggles, her breathing starts to become shallow and can feel that she's aroused again. “I want you,”

“You are a vixen,” he laughs, “You’re still sore,”

“I am but you're not,” she counters, turns around and asks him to stand. 

Luckily, the hot tub is anchored to the wall so he can lean on it for support. Emma quickly checks herself first and sadly, she is still sore, so intercourse is out of the question at the moment. She licks her lips together then presses them to his cock. 

Killian braces his left against the tile wall, straining to hold himself as Emma takes him into her mouth. His other hand goes to her blonde hair, digging through those tresses and guiding her head bob motions. 

Emma knows that she’s still sore but she’s also really aroused too and needs to touch herself so bad. The water splashes beneath them as she gently spreads her thighs and she inserts a digit into her labia, rubbing herself gently. Killian sees what she’s doing and he removes his hand from her hair, fondling her breasts instead and squeezing them. Emma moans and momentarily removes her lips from him, licking his tip and stroking herself harder. 

“Bloody hell Emma,” he curses. 

“I’m mildly sore but really soaked,” she says, winking slyly, “Want to feel?” 

Killian removes himself from the hot tub and holds her hand, helping her out of it and carries her back to the bed. He lays her on the bed, skin still damp from the bed, spreading her legs to feel if she’s as soaked as she claims and indeed, she is. Not quite as sore anymore either but still comes into her slowly, a bit at a time. 

“Hmm,” she mewls, licking her lips. 

“This doesn’t hurt?” 

“Am I still sore?” she counters, “I told you,  _ mildly, very mildly _ . Mostly, I just want my husband to make love to me,” 

Killian kisses her brow and comes in more fully into her, rocking slowly in and out. He doesn’t want to hurt her, even if she’s mildly sore from before but he also can’t deny her desires; especially when it’s something they both want. This is their honeymoon after all. Killian is still careful not to hurt her and sticks with slow and lengthy strokes. 

Emma closes her eyes, riding out her pleasure as it begins to spread from bottom to top. Once it reaches all of her, she’s trembling and her heart’s pounding so hard. Killian feels her clit, flicking with his fingers and she moans loudly. She is sore again but still greedily wanting more and he gives it to her, fucking her faster and deeper until he can’t anymore because now, it’s his turn to cum and it happens when he’s still inside of her. Killian waits until he finishes shooting and then pulls out, laying beside her on the bed. 

“Some honeymoon, huh?” she giggles, “We haven’t even gotten to London yet,” 

“One more spoiler about London love, we’re staying at a private cottage outside of London proper and it’ll be just us,” 

“Really?” she asks excitedly, “How did you find that?”

“Liam helped me with some research. We coordinated with each other while he was away with Elsa,” he adds, “We can still take the Underground to get to places, there’s a stop walking distance from the cottage,” 

“I look forward to it. I’ve never been to London before,” she smiles, wrapping her arms around his waist, “The place where we’re staying, it is close to where you and Liam grew up?” 

“It’s somewhat close but I’m not sure if I’m ready to see that old house, love,” he says sadly, “Our mother died there and we couldn’t stay there long after our bastard of a father took off with our money,” 

Emma frowns and hugs him tight. “I’m sorry Killian,” she whispers, “We can skip it if you’re not ready,” 

“Aye,” he muses, “I would however would like you to meet my mum,” 

“She passed,”

“I meant where she’s buried,” he corrects her, “There’s a small town cemetery within walking distance. I haven’t seen where she’s buried since the funeral and I was only a wee lad then. But I would like it if you could meet her,” 

Emma smiles and kisses him softly. “I would be honoured to meet you mother, Killian,” she says. 

“You would?” 

“Yes,” 

~~

Emma and Killian clean up later, pack their things and check out of the hotel, taking an ubur back to Emma’s house, their house now. She already has luggage packed for their flight to London and Killian has his luggage stored in her room too. Their flight is tonight and Liam and Elsa will be taking him and Emma, along with the younger Liam to the airport. 

It’s bittersweet. 

The same night Emma and Killian have their flight to London, other Liam has his return flight to Paris. The younger Jones isn’t enthusiastic to leave his brothers, he is not looking forward to seeing their father either. Brennan Jones is an unrepentant bastard and Liam cannot understand how he can feel zero remorse for leaving his first two sons when they were boys. 

Liam hugs both of his brother’s goodbyes. 

“I hate that I’m leaving you two,” he cries. 

“Maybe after this college semester ends, you can transfer credits and finish your education here in New York,” Liam reasons. 

Killian cocks an eyebrow. “We have naval bases here too if you want some work experience,” he adds. 

“That’s not a bad idea,” the younger Jones ponders, “I’ll see what I can do about getting that process started once I get back to Paris,” He hugs them again, then hugs Emma too. “You take care of Killian when you’re in London,” 

“I will,” she promises. 

Liam waves goodbye and stands in line for security. It’s Emma and Killian’s turn. They look at Elsa and Liam and hug them. 

“Are you sure that you’re okay with watching Henry?” Emma asks. 

“It’s no problem Emma,” Elsa assures her, speaking up finally, “We have the extra room now since Killian’s moved into your house,” 

“That lad is family now, Emma,” Liam adds, “He’ll be fine,” 

She looks at both of them, teary-eyed. “You have Will’s number if there’s something you need help with. He’s taken care of Henry since he was a baby,” she says. 

They part ways and Emma and Killian take their luggage, go through security and make their way to the terminal for their flight. 

~~

The cottage Killian finds outside of London is perfect for them, private, cozy and the Underground is easily accessible. They could be in London proper via one of the tube lines which is under 20 minutes. The neighborhood is lovely too, a lot of green, open spaces, brick roads, two parks and lovely people. 

The second day after they arrive and get over their jetlag, they walk around the neighborhood, sample local cuisine and Killian asks directions to the cemetery, so Emma can visit his mum. The plot is still small and after some guidance from the groundskeeper, they find her headstone. 

Alice Jones. 

Beloved mother and wife. 

Emma stands back as Killian kneels before her tombstone and places a tiny bouquet of hyacinth flowers on the soil. 

“Hello mum,” he starts, “It’s Killian, your favorite,” 

Emma rolls her eyes mockingly at that. She never knew Alice and can’t imagine a mother loving one son over the other, Brennan is a special case in that area. 

“I miss you, Liam does too. He couldn’t be here, I’m on my honeymoon actually with my new wife and I brought her here because I wanted you to meet her,” he says, beckoning Emma to come forward. 

Emma has some fresh flowers for her too and lays them next to Killian’s. 

“Hello Alice,” she starts, “I’m Emma, your son’s new wife. I’m sorry that I couldn’t have known you before but I think if you were here, you would be proud of the man that your son has become. I am and I love him so much, more than I’ve ever loved anyone else. Despite the life he’s had growing up, he still has this incredible ability to love and I have to think that influence comes from you. Thank you for shaping him into the man he is, the man I love,” 

They stand there in silence a moment longer then leave the cemetery, going to a nearby pub for lunch. 

The rest of the honeymoon, Emma and Killian plan their days around what they can see via the underground from where they are and spend their evenings making love in their private cottage. There’s so much to see in London proper, art galleries, the British Museum, the London Eye and the weather stays pleasantly warm for their stay.

Towards the end of the trip, Emma doesn’t feel so good. 

Almost everything she eats, she vomits and rests in bed, consuming only water and soup. When her symptoms continue for another day, Killian calls for a doctor visit. The main hospital is in London proper and Emma doesn’t have the stomach or the strength to travel all the way, so Killian calls for an in-house visit. The town does have family doctors that do house calls. 

The doctor is in his forties, a nice young man who examines Emma while she’s resting, taking notes of her symptoms, mostly throw-up, she can’t keep anything down and has been feeling nausea for about two days now, and their return flight to the states is scheduled in a few short days. 

“Well, considering that you’re on your honeymoon, I think that the answer is quite obvious,” he says, “You’re pregnant Mrs. Jones,” 

“What?” 

“Already?” Killian questions. 

“You’re not taking any contraception, no condoms, and have intercourse quite regularly and it’s not flu season,” the doctor continues, “I think pregnancy is definitely a strong possibility. Have you been pregnant before?” 

Emma blinks. “Eleven years ago. I have a son from a previous relationship,” she says. 

“This should not be unexpected then,” he continues and smiles at them both, “And you’re on your honeymoon. I can write you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins that you can also find in the states and some other recommendations to lessen the nausea,” 

“Thank you doctor,” Killian says, taking the prescription and then showing the man out. 

Emma still can’t believe it. She’s pregnant with Killian’s child, their child. Of course she wanted to get pregnant but thought when it would happen, they would be more settled in their newly married life. This is really soon for them. It’s scary. 

Killian comes back and sits beside her, taking her hand and kisses it, smiling. “We’re pregnant,” he says. 

“This is really soon,” she starts. 

“No Emma, it’s perfect,” he assures her, “A child, our child is what you wanted and now, it’s really happening,” 

“I know, I just thought we would have more time to ourselves before having a kid,” she continues, “but I couldn’t be happier. Does the doctor know how far along I am?” 

“We’d have to go into a clinic in London and take a sonogram, or wait until we get back to the states,” he reasons. 

“The flight. Is it still safe for me to travel like this?” 

“I can reschedule the flight back if it’s needed. There’s a pharmacy around the block. I can pick up what you need for now, you just rest, love,” he says, kissing her forehead and then kisses her belly. 

Emma smiles, watching him and can’t stop smiling after he’s gone. She’s pregnant with the child of the man she loves. 

~~

Their return flight to the states is rescheduled for a later date after Emma’s initial morning sickness calms down and she is able to travel. Liam, Elsa, Henry and Will are surprised when they pick them up at JFK that Killian’s escorting his wife in a wheelchair. Emma can walk but she needs to take it easy. 

“Bloody hell Killian, what happened?” Liam asks worriedly. 

“It’s nothing bad Liam, no need to worry,” she assures him, “I just need to take it easy for a few months,” 

Henry hugs his mom and then his new stepdad. “She’s not injured or anything? Sick? Is that why your flight had to be rescheduled?” 

Emma hesitates, not wanting to get into the reason at the moment. Jet lag and morning sickness isn’t a great combination. 

“How was your trip in general?” Elsa asks. 

“It was great. The village where we stayed was so beautiful. It wasn’t far from an underground, so we could take the tube into London proper,” she starts and looks at Liam, “I met your mom too. Killian took me to where she’s buried,” 

Liam smiles at his brother. He’s too emotional at the moment to express what he’s feeling but Killian knows. They loved their mum so much. 

“Get any souvenirs?” Henry asks. 

“We did,” Killian adds. 

Emma continues talking once they pile into the car but shortly after the car starts, she’s knocked out. Liam drives them home and Will helps them take their luggage inside while Killian helps his wife up the stairs to her to bed to rest. Henry hugs Killian, then goes upstairs to check on his mom, if Emma needs anything else. 

“Emma coming back in a wheelchair, the flight had to be rescheduled because she wasn’t well enough to fly, Killian,” Elsa starts, “She’s pregnant isn’t she?” 

Liam and Will’s draw drops staring at him and he can’t deny it, not with that grin on his face. “Aye,” he says, “Emma hadn’t been feeling well towards the tail end of our trip, I phoned a house-call doctor and he confirmed it,” 

Elsa hugs him excitedly. “Killian, this is great. Liam and I are expecting, and now you and Emma,” she cries, “Cousins,” 

“Emma’s not ready to tell Henry yet. She wants to wait until she recovers from jet lag but yes brother, you got your wish, a cousin for your baby,” 

Will grins. “I guess that means I get a bonus finally,” he jokes. 

~~

_ Months Later... _

Elsa goes into labour first, Liam’s there by his wife’s side, coaching her through everything while Anna, Kristoff, Killian, Emma and Henry wait outside. 

Emma’s almost due herself but not yet. 

She gave herself maternity leave two weeks ago but still occasionally receives emails from Tink at the office, in case there’s anything she needs to sign off on. Her pregnancy has been very smooth. Killian and Henry help her stay comfortable at home, Will checks in on her and does needed groceries so Killian can stay at home with her. 

The last doctor’s appointment, Emma and Killian debated if they wanted to know the sex of the baby. Emma wants to know but doesn’t want to know. She’s already narrowed down some names for a potential girl or boy but also wants to wait and see what Elsa and Liam call their baby too. 

A nurse comes out of the delivery room, pulls down her mask and smiles at them all. 

“How’s Elsa?” Anna asks. 

“Mother and daughter are doing fine,” she says. 

“Daughter? I have a niece?” 

“We have a niece,” Killian corrects, referring to all of them. 

The nurse continues smiling at them. “There’s no shortage of babysitters or love in this room,” she says, looking at Emma, “Did you want a quick check-up already?” 

“I did, two weeks ago before I went on maternity leave,” 

“Good. Congratulations to all of you,” 

~~

Elsa’s released a few days later from the hospital, she and Liam bring their new daughter home. They named her while in the hospital but Elsa and Liam had the nurses attending Elsa under strict orders not to say what the child’s name is to the family, not yet. Elsa settles in, resting in bed while Liam sets up his new daughter in the nursery Will helped him build. They transformed Killian’s old room into a room for the baby. 

Elsa recovers in about a week and she and Liam have a welcome party for their new daughter. Everyone they love is there and everyone’s curious what to call the newest member of the Jones family. 

“Chloe,” Elsa says finally, “Her name’s Chloe,”

“Chloe Alexandra Jones,” Liam adds. 

Emma smiles. “Hello Chloe,” she cooes, “It’s so nice to meet you,” 

~~

A few more months later and it’s Emma’s turn to go into labor. Killian’s there and his whole family, once again, is waiting outside. This isn’t Emma’s first baby delivery but the mood feels different than the first. 

There weren’t many complications with Henry but Emma remembers going through different emotions leading up to his birth. It’s not like that this time, only this feeling of being surrounded by her family and loved ones. Killian has been unbelievably supportive through everything, Henry too. He’s so excited to be a big brother. 

Emma never imagined that her life would get to this point where she’s surrounded by this family who welcomed her with open arms. It’s more than she could have ever hoped for. 

Still, albeit painful, labor pains still haven’t changed. 

After more intensive pushing and encouragement from people around her, after all that, her baby is finally here. Hers and Killian’s. 

And it is a girl. Emma hoped it would be a girl because she can go with the name that she wanted, and the same name Killian wanted for a daughter. 

Hope Alice Jones. 

Her name is Hope, their Hope. 

She’s the beginning of their new life together, their happy beginning. 

tbc


	33. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four months later, after settling into new parenthood for the Jones brothers, Killian receives an email from his little brother Liam that he’s successfully transferred his college credits to NYU and not only is he planning to finish his education in New York, he also wants to live there too. 

Four months later, after settling into new parenthood for the Jones brothers, Killian receives an email from his little brother Liam that he’s successfully transferred his college credits to NYU and not only is he planning to finish his education in New York, he also wants to live there too. 

It’s been months since Liam returned to Paris and his relationship with their father hasn’t gotten better, it’s gotten worse. 

His brother quit working at the club as a bartender to continue attending classes full time for the remainder of the semester, moving out of the house and into an on-campus dorm. Brennan tried reaching out to him a few times but Liam knows his dad, and that man is so set in his ways and in his belief about his older brothers that he can’t in good conscience continue living in the same house with him and pretend that nothing’s wrong about his behavior. 

Killian talks with Emma about maybe Liam coming to live with them for a bit while he looks for a flat for him. There’s NYU dorms but Liam doesn’t have the money to help pay for housing. Tuition is so bloody expensive. Emma agrees, they have a spare guest room. 

The hard part done, now he needs to talk to Liam about the job situation. 

He asks to meet him at  _ The Jolly Roger  _ for a pint. 

“I received an email from Liam a few days ago. He’s transferred his college credits to NYU,” he starts, “And he wants to live here in New York,” 

“Things have gotten that bad with the old man, have they?” 

Killian shrugs. “Really bad. You would think that he would be more repentant, but he’s still a selfish bastard,” he muses, “Emma’s agreed that he can stay in the guest room we have but he needs a job and I know that you can use an extra hand here, especially since you’re busy at home with Elsa and Chloe,” 

“Aye, you want me to give him a job?” 

He grins. “I don’t think it was coincidental when I met him in Paris, he was bartending at father’s nightclub,” he reasons, “He’s a good kid Liam,”

Liam holds his hand and smiles at him. “I know he is,” he agrees, “He’s been on our side all along since the truth came out about Brennan’s abandonment. I still remember when I had cold feet on my wedding day, he told me to forget the past and focus on my future with Elsa and the baby,” 

“You’ll help then?” 

“Aye. He has a job. We can work something out once we know his class schedule for the upcoming semester,” he smiles, “How is Emma and Hope?” 

Killian smiles. “Still bloody perfect. Hope’s hair is starting to come in, it’s blonde like Emma but blue eyes like ours and Henry loves being a big brother. Emma’s still working from home and Tink’s managing the office,” 

“We’re both so blessed to have beauty in our lives brother,” 

“Aye,” 

~~

After his talk with Liam, Killian goes home and emails Liam that he will have a job when he arrives, once they’ve sorted through his class schedule for the upcoming semester. Liam emails back that he’s booked his one-way flight to JFK, forwarded some of his stuff already to Emma’s address and he should be there in a few days. 

~~

Four days later, Killian, Emma and Hope welcome Liam at JFK. He’s so happy to be there and thanks Emma repeatedly for letting him stay with them while he looks for a place. Once he sees his niece Hope, it’s love at first sight. 

After they arrive home, Killian texts the elder Jones that they’ve arrived and he promises that they will be over shortly. Liam’s busy playing peek-a-boo with Hope in the dining room while she sits in her infant chair when the other half of the Jones family arrive. Elsa’s carrying Chloe in her arms when they come in. Killian hugs them and Emma comes down the stairs with Henry, greeting them. 

Liam goes to the dining room, surprising his brother with a big hug. Elsa comes in a moment later, carrying baby Chloe on her hip. Chloe’s only a few months older than her cousin and has sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. 

Elsa hugs him and then asks if he would like to hold his other niece. 

Liam starts to give his baby brother directions about what he should do and Elsa gently gives Chloe to him, cradling her. “She’s beautiful Liam,” he says. 

Elsa blushes and smiles. 

The doorbell rings and Emma goes to answer. It’s Anna and Kristoff. She welcomes them inside and Anna immediately goes to say hello to her sister. The Jones family is together under one roof and it’s a lot of people. 

Henry helps him mom set the table for their lunch. 

While they finish setting the table, there’s another ring at the front door and Henry goes to check and see who it is. 

Will is there with Anastasia. 

The lad welcomes them inside and Will immediately goes to making googly eyes with Chloe and Hope. It warms Ana’s heart to see her boyfriend so smitten with the Jones’ girls, especially when they might be expecting themselves soon. 

Tink and Jefferson are the last to arrive. Both of them hug Emma fondly and then go to say hello to everyone else and of course, Hope and Chloe. 

Emma reintroduces Tink to the younger Jones brother and she can tell, her first assistant is smitten with him but he doesn't have a clue that she likes him. 

Their dining room table isn’t nearly big enough to accommodate everyone but it’s okay. So much has changed for Emma in less than a year. She has Killian, Henry and Hope and the entire Jones family. It can be overwhelming at times but perfect. 

This is Emma’s family, that piece of her life that had been missing for a long time. 

She had Henry and her fair share of bad relationships (only two really, Neal and Walsh) but being with Killian, loving him made her realize what a hollow life she lived before she met him. She had Henry and her work but it was really a lonely existence. She had been so scared to open herself up after Walsh, or even believe that this kind of life was possible for her. 

Emma loves them all so much. There’s room in her heart for all of them. 

This life, these people are all she will ever need. 

Killian comes downstairs with his DSLR camera and asks everyone to gather in the living room for a family picture. 

Henry sets up a tripod as everyone gathers for the photo. The lad sets up quickly and Killian screws in the camera with a quarter, setting up the timer. He stands next to Emma, kisses her temple and his daughter’s forehead and they look at the camera, smiling as the timer goes off. 

A moment frozen in a picture and the beginning of Emma’s perfect life with the man she loves, her daughter and her family. 

Later, Emma will be printing that first family photo and add it to a new album, their family album and thinking about more events where all of them can be together, birthdays, holidays. These were times she spent alone with Henry but it’s different now, she’s different and their little family isn’t little. 

Emma’s really happy and feels comforted that she has so many people in her life who have welcomed her with open arms. 

This is her true happy beginning. 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologize for forgetting to post. Good and sad news, we are the end! I don't know when I will start posting a new CS fanfic, but probably after the new year!


End file.
